This Year's Girl
by EtrnlPsyche
Summary: Alice enters Bella in a contest to win a date with Indy Racing's hottest bachelor. What will happen when they both get more than a date out of the contest? AH/AU. Sorry the summary sucks. Just trust me.
1. Prologue

**_AN: Hi hi! This isn't the sequel to Somebody Knows You Now but that's coming, I promise. I wanted to break away from that plot line for little while to write something a bit more light-hearted._**** _I got the idea for this story from Win a Date with Tad Hamilton (LOVE IT!!) and it kind of took on a mind of it's own. The plot line is completely different so do go thinking the outcome is going to be the same or anything because it's not. _**

**_And again... Edward's a race car driver. Indy this time but other than the contest there is no racing or anything related to it in this story so if you don't like racing, it shouldn't affect your views on the story or interfere so much that you can't read it. Please read and review... Feedback always helps get updates posted!_**

**_And so I give you.... _**

**_THIS YEAR'S GIRL_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**_Prologue_

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* * *

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Edward Masen scanned the faces surrounding him in the conference room. Esme Cullen, his car owner and adopted mother, smiled at the uncertainty that graced his handsome face as his friend and personal assistant Ben Cheney watched him expectantly.

"Who on earth came up with this lame ass idea?" Edward growled only to receive a chuckle from the man at his side.

Slowly turning his head, his gaze fell upon the smirking face of one Jasper Whitlock, a fellow racer and best friend. "Don't start with me. You've been bitching about not having a date for the banquet. If we do this you'll have one and on top of that, you'll know she's only after your money and who you are so you won't get caught up in some little game."

"You need some new endorsements because clearly all of that Patron you've been getting for free has finally killed your last brain cell." Edward rolled his eyes and flipped his sunglasses back over his eyes. "I'm not doing it."

"Yes you are," Esme said sternly. "It's already in the works. It's for one night Edward so grow up and deal with it."

She stood and grabbed her papers then left the room, leaving the three men alone.

"What's wrong Eddie? We thought you'd like the idea," Jasper chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement as he ran a hand through his unruly blond curls.

Edward scoffed. "Yeah. It'll be great when my date has two teeth, a lazy eye, a mullet and more body weight than a sumo wrestler. I can't wait."

Ben chuckled. "Oh come on. You think we'd let that happen."

"I don't see how you're going to be able to prevent it."

Jasper looked at Edward with a grin. "Hey just leave it to me. You know I wouldn't steer you wrong…"

"You mean like that time when we were in Mexico…"

"Shut up."

"Or that one time when the plane…"

"Shut up."

"Oh and how about when you had me walk…"

"Okay! Okay… Point taken. Just trust me on this one."

* * *

Mary Alice Brandon sat at her computer staring blankly at the screen as she waited for her roommate to get home, barely listening to the Indy race she had on in the background. "Come on, Bells," she muttered with a glance at the clock.

As if on cue, the slamming of the front door brought her to her feet and she rushed to the foyer to find Bella jogging up the stairs."

"Bells! Hold up!" she called, hurrying behind her.

She caught the bedroom door just before it slammed in her face and leaned against the frame. "What the hell?"

Bella Swan fell onto her bed quickly burying her face in her pillow. "Go away Ali, I'm not in the mood right now for your stupid IndyCar shit."

Alice walked further into the room and sat on the foot of the bed. "What'd he do now?"

Bella rolled onto her back and looked at her best friend, unable to conceal a small smile as her wide blue eyes blinked rapidly with curiousity. "What makes you think he did something now?"

"Hmm… Don't know. You run in, slam the door, don't say a word and bury your face in a pillow. Normal post James behavior if you ask me," Alice replied, ruffling her cropped black hair. "Plus your eyes are all puffy."

Bella sighed. "I don't know. He really doesn't even have to do anything anymore. Just being around him upsets me to the point that I can't even think straight."

"I don't know why you don't just break up with him."

"Because our parents have had our wedding invitations printed since birth?"

Alice shook her head. "Your parents aren't the ones that have to deal with him. I don't understand you richies."

"Yeah, well. Not all of us have the privilege to grow up in Forks and being given the opportunity to make our own decisions about our lives," Bella sighed.

Alice just scoffed. "Cause being brought up in run down two bedroom house with your grandmother and three cousins is so much better than a twenty room mansion in Seattle."

"Look, Al. We've done this before. I'd rather be loved and allowed to make my own decisions than to have all of the money in the world at my disposal. Do you remember what my parents did when I told them I was changing my major from business to art? They nearly disowned me and informed me that I was only going to school to bide my time until James graduated, they didn't intend for me to actually work."

"Again, I don't see the problem."

Bella stood up and began pacing the room. "The problem is I'm not going to have some man support me."

"Well, you fought them on school. Do the same with James."

"We'll see."

Alice smiled and stood up, giving Bella a hug. "You wanna come watch the rest of the race with me?"

"I'm not that upset," Bella laughed. "And don't wake me up with all the squealing if that Jasper Masen guy you like so much wins. I don't care."

"It's Edward Masen and Jasper Whitlock."

"Whatever."

Alice smiled and quickly went downstairs just in time to see Edward take the checkered just seconds before Jasper.

A moment later a commercial popped up on the screen that nearly had Alice screaming at the top of her lungs.

_If you're an Edward Masen fan and between the ages of 18 and 24, you could be his date for the most important evening in IndyCar. Enter on his website between now and November 20. Please female entries only. Enter daily. No purchase necessary to win._

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Alice sang quickly, rushing to her computer to log onto Edward's site.

She clicked on the link for the contest and filled out the form, a smile tugging at her lips as she pressed enter.


	2. Chapter 1

**_AN: Thanks for the reviews guys! And all of the alerts. My email has been crazy packed with fun. Alright, this chapter is bit short but they'll get longer I promise. ENJOY! Keep those reviews comin! This chapter is mostly dialogue so I'll apologize ahead of time for that... it was just kind of necessary._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

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_Chapter One_

Alice grabbed the handful of mail out of the mailbox and juggled her keys barely stepping over the threshold before tripping and dropping the entire contents on the floor.

"Son of a whore…" she hissed as she rubbed what was sure to become a bruise on her shin.

She stood up and closed the door then picked up the mess. It wasn't until she tossed the mail on the table that the envelope caught her eye.

The postmark was Indianapolis, Indiana and she bit down on her bottom lip as she opened the envelope, unfolding the letter inside. "OH DEAR GOD!" She screamed as she jumped up and down. "Bells!!!"

When she got no response she wandered into the kitchen and pulled out a beer before sitting down at the table. "Congratulations…"

* * *

Bella stumbled through the front door after a hectic weekend at her parents to a ranting, raving lunatic of a roommate.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Alice screamed the moment the front door was closed. "I've been calling your cell for days."

Bella laughed and dropped her bags. "I was at my parents, Ali. You know that."

"Shit," Alice growled. "I thought that you were going Christmas week."

"Hell no. I'm going nowhere near my parents until next year so that gives me nearly a month without a headache. Well except for the corporate party. Now what was so important that you had to bite my head off when I walked in."

"Merry Christmas!"

Bella looked at the envelope Alice held out to her as well as the ecstatic look on her face. "What's this?"

"Just open the damn thing!"

She laughed and carefully opened the envelope in her hand, pulling out two round trip tickets to New York City. "Oh my God, Ali! Where'd you get these?"

"We won a contest! Not only are we going to New York but we're staying at the Waldorf!"

Bella looked at her in disbelief. "What kind of contest is it?"

"Perfectly legit, I promise. But I'm not giving you anymore details until we're there."

"Not even how long we're staying?"

"Nope."

"Bitch."

"Hey, I can find someone else to go."

Bella rolled her eyes. "No you can't. No one's gonna put up with your hyper ass."

Alice shook her head. "One more thing. We've got to get you a formal."

"Why?"

"It's New York. Don't ask questions."

* * *

Edward looked at the paper in front of him. "Seattle? How the hell do you know she's not from Forks?"

"What the hell's Forks?" Ben asked snickering.

"It's a city, you dumbass. Anyway, everyone that lives within like an a few hours from Seattle says they're from Seattle."

Jasper rolled his eyes and popped Edward on the back of the head. "Have you ever paid any attention when we're at signings? Man those northwest girls are smokin…"

"Jasper, I guarantee the ugliest female in Washington won. And how do you know she's not some psycho freak? Did you guys check her out?"

"I'm sure they did some kind of check on her. I don't think they'd put you in a threatening situation man, you just gotta suck it up and deal with it. Have you got your stuff packed yet?"

Edward nodded. "Yeah. When does this date happen anyway? Do I even get to meet her before the awards ceremony?"

"Yeah…"

"Good."

"An hour before."

Edward narrowed his eyes at Jasper and shook his head. "I'm gonna kick your ass for this once it's over. I wouldn't want to mess up your face before a big photo op."

"Kiss my ass, Eddie."

"Like I said, I'd rather kick it."

* * *

"Ali, there's no way I can wear this in public!" Bella cried turning around to look at herself in the dress that Alice had given her to try on. "Not to mention have you seen the price? How the hell am I supposed to pay for this?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Bells, there's nothing revealing about this dress…"

"It's black lace with a few strategically placed inserts on the inside of the gown… there sure as hell is a lot about it that's revealing."

"But it looks great on you." She stepped back and smiled. She'd never seen a more perfect match than Bella in that dress. The halter neck definitely accentuated one of her better assets, the material hugged her like a second skin and the asymmetrical hem started just at her left knee, cascading down to her right ankle, emphasizing her height. "I swear I wouldn't lie to you. You know I wouldn't."

Bella closed her eyes. "Even if I decide to get it, we're back to the issue of paying for it."

"Uh-huh. And that's what Daddy's credit card is for. Give me your wallet."

"No Alice. I'm not letting him pa…"

"Yes you are. It's about time he paid for something you wanted instead of something he wants you to have."

"Fine."

Alice smiled. "Now all we need is shoes, a clutch and a trip to the spa and salon."

"Okay. You're really not convincing me on the legitimacy of this contest. You're getting ready to sell me. I'm not stupid. Anyway, why aren't we getting you a dress?"

"Already have one. Remember the one I wore to Newton's banquet last fall? As for selling you, I might as well make some money off of your sorry ass somehow cause I have no desire to be the starving roommate of an artist."

* * *


	3. Chapter 2

**_AN: Since some of you seem to want more of this today instead of the teasing chapter you got this morning, I thought I'd be nice and post Chapter Two for you. It's definitely longer and starts to get a bit more into the story. You get the date! yay! Enjoy!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Two

Bella and Alice stood in the entryway of their suite in awe.

"You swear you didn't sell us for some sort of sexual perversion?" Bella asked raising a curious brow at her friend.

Alice just laughed and glanced at her watch. "Oh, Bells. You need to get ready girl. We've gotta leave at six."

"Where are we going again?"

"Nope. I'm not telling you. Just get that dress on. And I'll fix your hair," she added watching as Bella picked one of the bedrooms.

"Fine."

"Oh yeah, evening make up."

"I either have make-up or no make-up Alice, there is no evening make up where I'm concerned." Bella rolled her eyes as she went into her room to get ready for her mystery evening.

* * *

Promptly at six there was a knock at the door.

"Bells! Can you get that?" Alice called through the door of her room, doing her best to control the laughter she knew would surface at any moment.

Bella groaned and threw open the door to the suite, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor as she saw the man standing on the other side. His bright emerald eyes lit in appreciation and she could describe his thick bronze hair as nothing short of sex hair. It was unruly and her fingers literally itched to run through it. "Um… C… Can I help you?"

Edward smiled at the beautiful brunette that had opened the door, slowly allowing his gaze to drift over the black lace dress that left very little of what was underneath to the imagination, before looking into her deep chocolate brown eyes. He certainly hoped he had the right room. "Yeah, I'm looking for Bella Swan."

"Um… Uh… Excuse me for a moment please…"

Edward smiled and stepped into the suite, closing the door quietly behind him as he watched this beautiful woman pounding on one of the bedroom doors in frustration. Jasper had one thing right. Northwest girls were definitely hot.

"Alice," Bella sang. "Get out here please."

A moment later the door opened and Alice walked out in one of the large fluffy, terry robes provided by the hotel. "Bells, I'm not feeling all that great. You go ahead and go. Have a good time."

"Go where?! Why is there…" She turned and cast a smile at Edward before looking back at her friend, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Why is there some guy here to pick me up? You said this was legit, Al. Who'd you whore me out to?"

Alice laughed and looked over Bella's shoulder to find Edward sitting on the couch looking nervous and nearly lost her balance as her legs grew weak and she had to grab the door frame to remain steady. "Edward…" she said breathlessly, not noticing the panicked look on Bella's face.

"Edward? Your racer guy _Edward_?" Bella was beyond confused now. "Why the hell is he here in a tux asking for me?"

"BecauseIenteredyouinacontesttowinadatewithimandyouwon…"

"You WHAT!?"

Edward chose that moment to stand and clear his throat, getting their attention. "I hate to interrupt, but we need to go, we're gonna be late," he said tapping his watch.

Bella rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse. "For the last time will someone please tell me where I'm going?" She looked between the two of them waiting for someone to answer.

Slightly confused Edward wondered if he was even in the right place but hoped he was if this girl was his date for the night. Jasper was going to be kicking himself for having Edward do the contest instead of doing it himself. He knew very well that Jasper was going alone. "Am I even in the right place?"

"Yes," she sighed extremely worn out from the situation. "I'm Bella Swan." She held out her hand to him, smiling as he shook it then turned and held his arm out for her to take. "But I seriously have no idea what's going on…"

"Well, I'm Edward Masen," Edward smiled. "And I'll tell you about it in the car."

With a final warning glance at Alice, Bella slipped her arm through Edward's, resting her hand just inside of his right elbow and they left the suite. They stood in awkward silence as they waited for elevator to open and Bella chewed on her lip and looked around, doing anything she could to try to calm the butterflies that had suddenly stirred in her stomach.

When they got downstairs there was a large group of men and women dressed in tuxes and evening gowns and a large group of people standing outside. Every now and then a camera flash would go off.

"What the hell did Alice get me into…" she muttered under her breath, surprised when Edward looked at her and smiled.

He placed a hand over hers and patted it softly. "It'll be fine. We're just waiting on the limos to get here and then we'll be on our way."

"Hey Eddie!"

Bella turned around to see who was yelling and laughed as a tall guy with unruly blond curls tripped over his foot, nearly falling face first on the finely polished floor.

"Edward… When are you gonna go get your date? It's time for us to leave."

Edward looked Bella and smiled, shaking his head. "This is my date, Jasper."

Jasper waved off his comment. "No man. Your real date. The one from the contest. I don't know why you brought someone else knowing you had that commitment, unless you brought her for me. I swear if you screw up this promotion I'm gonna kick your ass."

"This is my date, Jasper," Edward repeated, a little more slowly than the last time. "This is Bella Swan. Bella this is Jasper Whitlock."

Bella smiled and held out her hand, looking up at him with shining brown yes. "Hi. Nice to meet you…"

"Um… Likewise." Jasper stared at her for a few minutes while she looked around at everything that was going on. She definitely wasn't what he'd expected when they'd planned this contest and she sure as hell wasn't the giddy and squealing fan that freaked out every time she saw one of the drivers. Hell she hadn't even gotten excited when she met him. Just a little smile and a "hi". "Well… the limo's here. You guys ready?"

Edward nodded and led Bella outside to the waiting car, easing in next to her as Jasper slid in behind them.

She smoothed her hands over the seat and looked at Edward nervously. "So where are we going?"

"Awards banquet…"

Her eyes widened. "Yo...you mean like televised, lots of cameras… stuff like that?"

"Yup," he said, patting her hand. "You'll be fine though. You just have to sit there and be beautiful and you'll do fine."

When the word beautiful came out of his mouth she looked at him in surprise, her cheeks flushing red at his words. That was absolutely the last thing she'd expected to hear tonight and especially coming out of the mouth of Ali's beloved Edward.

"So, Bella… What do you do?" Jasper spoke up, not wanting to watch she and Edward make googily eyes at each other, if he'd been the one doing the contest he would've ended up with a bag named Ider that had one green eye and one brown, one leg shorter than the other and two teeth.

She smiled and tried to tuck a stray strand of hair back in her tightly coifed up do. "I go to school. Um… college, I'm getting my masters in art. I'm also a photographer I own a small gallery on the outskirts of Seattle."

"So you're how old?"

Edward looked at Jasper and cocked his head. "Jasper, don't be rude."

"I was just wondering…"

Bella giggled. "It's okay. I don't mind. I'm twenty-two. I'll be twenty-three in a few weeks."

"So how'd you become an Indy fan?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Jasper… this isn't twenty questions. Can we just enjoy the ride?"

He shrugged. "I'm just curious."

She looked nervously between the two men then down at her lap before looking back at Jasper. "I'm not. Apparently my friend entered me in this contest without me knowing about it. She's the race fan."

Jasper's eyes narrowed and he continued to watch her. Glaring at each little giggle or look of awe that she produced. He wasn't going to stand around and let Edward fall into her little charade. He knew she was nothing but a money hungry gold digger that was after nothing more than the fame and fortune that came with this life. Not an Indy fan? He'd see about that.

* * *


	4. Chapter 3

**_AN: Alrighty everyone... Here's chapter three. This will be the last update until next Monday unless I get a wild hair up my butt and decide to stop playing Rock Band long enough to get online. I have a serious addiction but I am determined to master expert on that game if it kills me. Not to mention I won't be back to work until Monday and in order to get to my computer at home I have to walk through a disaster area. And this is completely random but I'm excited cause the hubby and I are going to get our Christmas tree today and going to the Lenox store to get our new ornament (gotta have tradition). YAY!! I love the holidays!_**

**_Anywho... hope you guys enjoy and I promise I'm not gonna let Jasper screw anything up between Edward and Bella. I love Jasper therefore, he can do no wrong... which includes messing up other people's hook ups._**

**_Love you guys! Keep the reviews coming... they boost my ego and give you more to read. I don't see any negative in that whatsoever._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

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Chapter Three

When they arrived at the conference center Jasper opened the door and stomped down the red carpet, not bothering to smile, sign autographs or pose for pictures.

Edward shook his head in irritation and stepped out of the limo, turned around and held out his hand for Bella, then settled his arm lightly around her waist as they made their way down the red carpet, stopping to pose for pictures on the way. "Promise me you're leaving with me tonight…" he whispered against her neck as they walked through the doors.

"What? Who else would I leave with?" she asked in confusion, not sure what he meant.

He looked in her eyes then allowed his gaze to roam down the length of her body. "Trust me there will be plenty of guys trying to get your attention."

She blushed and held her clutch tighter in her grasp.

Once inside she stood in awe at the mere extravagance of the gala in front of her. The massive lobby was crowded with people mingling and laughing, waiters weaved their way through with trays of champagne and hors d'ouerves, and two enormous chandeliers hung on either end of the entry hall.

"Would you like something to drink?" Edward asked against her ear, sending chills down her spine as his warm breath brushed over her skin.

Bella smiled. "Yes, just a coke would be fine."

"No champagne?"

She shook her head. "Haven't eaten yet. Alcohol and an empty stomach don't work for me."

He nodded and hurried towards the bar, leaving her standing alone feeling exposed and vulnerable.

"Who on earth brought you here and left you alone?" a nervous voice questioned from behind startling her as his hand brushed down her bare arm.

She jerked away and turned to look into crystal blue eyes. "Please don't touch me."

He smiled a crooked grin and moved closer to her. "I'm Dan."

"I'm not interested…" she said shortly and turned her back to him.

"That dress says differently…"

"What's up Wheldon?" Edward said behind him, his voice holding more warning than greeting as he stepped between them and handed Bella her drink. "Here ya go… Let's go mingle."

With another warning glance cast over his shoulder, he led Bella towards a group of people, neither noticing the signal between Dan and Jasper as she was quickly introduced to a few of them before the lights in the lobby dimmed a few times signaling everyone to head to their seats.

When they reached their table, Edward pulled out her chair, waiting until she was seated before sitting next to her and casually draping his arm over the back of her chair.

"This is amazing…" she whispered, still overwhelmed by the size of the auditorium.

Edward smiled and followed her gaze. "They usually hold the banquet at the Waldorf but it kind of grew this year so they had to find another place for it."

She smiled and took a sip of her drink. "It's definitely big."

Jasper flopped into the chair next to Bella and took a long slow drink from his glass of Patron before clumsily dropping it onto the table. He snarled his lip in irritation as he looked Bella over then turned his back to them.

She frowned. "What did I do wrong?"

Edward just shrugged and placed a soothing hand on her back, gently rubbing the soft skin between her shoulders. "Don't worry about it."

Bella gave him a soft smile and turned towards the stage as the lights faded and the night began.

* * *

Bella couldn't stop smiling as Edward led her to the limo. After the awards ceremony and dinner the tables had been cleared and a dance floor emerged in the center of the room. She spent hours dancing with Edward and a guy named Scott, whose last name she didn't quite catch, but who's accent she found charming and adorable.

Edward helped her into the limo and they talked and laughed on the way back to the hotel finding an awkward silence only after they'd stepped off of the elevator to head back to her room.

"So…" Edward said softly, tugging on her pinky before she could step away from him.

She smiled shyly and looked down at the floor, biting gently at her bottom lip. "So…"

"I had a really great time tonight."

"Me too…"

He reached up and placed his hand on her cheek, gently grazing his thumb over her soft skin. "When are you leaving?"

She shrugged. "Alice gave me absolutely no details of this trip so I have no idea."

"Well, I tell you what. I'll be by here at ten tomorrow morning. If you're still here, we'll go out for the day. If not…" he gave her a weak smile and stepped forward, backing her against the wall next to the door. "It was nice meeting you Bella Swan."

Before any words would come out of her mouth, Edward had his lips pressed to hers, gently coaxing hers apart to allow his tongue entrance.

He pulled away and smiled at her closed eyes and the smile tugging at her lips. "Good night."

"Night," she sighed then opened the door to her room and stepped inside, leaning back against the door before sliding to the floor. "Oh my God…"

"Have a good time?" Alice asked lazily from the bedroom doorway.

"OH yeah…"

Alice smiled. "Good. Now go to bed, our flight leaves at ten in the morning."

Bella's happiness quickly faded as Alice's words hit her. "Alright. See you in the morning."

She pulled off her heels and shuffled her way into the bedroom, closing the door behind her before stripping out of the constraining dress and pulling on her shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in.

Cuddling into the pillow on her bed, she thought of the night she'd spent dancing in Edward's arms and remembered the spicy scent of his cologne and the warmth of his breath on her neck as they'd talked and laughed. Tomorrow she'd be on her way back to the annoying presence of James Hunter.

* * *

Edward pulled his sweater over his head and took one last glance in the mirror before grabbing his room key and wallet then headed out of the room.

He took the elevator up two floors to Bella's room and took a deep breath before knocking on the lavish mahogany door.

He knocked again and glanced at his watch. It was ten on the dot.

"Sir…"

Glancing around at the voice calling for him, he found a maid smiling at him. "They've already left sir."

Edward looked down at his feet before looking back at her and nodded his head. "Thanks."

Hurrying back downstairs to catch Jasper before he left for the day, he caught him just as the elevator door opened. "Jasper!"

His friend frowned and watched him in confusion. "What's up Eddie? Why you up so early?"

"Bella… I need to find her."

Jasper shook his head. "Get past it Edward. She won a contest for a date for one night. It's over and done with."

"Don't pull that shit with me. You know very well if it had been you, you would've had everything down to her social security number so you could track her down before she left."

"Well it's not me. And I can't believe you're falling for the innocent shit she pulled last night. She's a money hungry little slut just like all of the rest of them."

Edward watched Jasper closely, not sure why his so-called friend was so pissed off about the night before. "You're just jealous…"

"Of what?"

"That my date was hot and you didn't have one."

Jasper just rolled his eyes. "I don't need a date. I'm Jasper Whitlock. I could have any woman at my side that I wanted if I needed a date."

"Keep telling yourself that Jasper."

Edward pushed passed him and went down to his room, making sure to slam the door behind him for added emphasis. He grabbed his cell phone and called Ben only to get his voicemail, no doubt he was still asleep.

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head out of habit as his gaze fell onto his laptop. "Nevermind. I don't need you."

Flipping on the power, he waited patiently while it booted up then typed in a search for colleges in the vicinity of Seattle, Washington. "How many can there be?" he shrugged.


	5. Chapter 4

**_AN: Yay!! Time for another update! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and got to enjoy a long weekend as much as I did. I also hope everybody's team won. My Longhorns ruled but then totally got dissed by the BCS and I'm NOT happy about that situation at all. My husband had a great weekend because Bama won so all around it wasn't entirely bad. I would just like to announce that I fall more and more in love with Kellen Lutz as the days go by so just want to share the love. That's really not important at all but I've got to think of something to keep me happy since my boys are # 3. And let me just say if Colt McCoy doesn't win the Heisman I'm gonna be even more pissed off._**

**_Now... on to something actually story related... the update. Enjoy! Review! _**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Four

Not an hour after arriving home, James showed up on the doorstep, ready for a night on the town and Bella was less than thrilled with the thought.

She'd tried numerous excuses to get him to leave but none had worked and before she knew it, she was sitting in the passenger seat of his Maserati staring into space, wishing the earth would open up and swallow her whole.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said, sliding his hand into her lap to rest his hand on her thigh.

Bella straightened in her seat and looked over at the smug smile that graced his lips. She picked up his hand and deposited it back into his lap. "Don't do that."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm tired."

He frowned. "Where'd you run off to the last few days? I've been trying to call you."

"Alice and I went out of town."

"And you just leave without asking or saying goodbye?"

She bit her tongue lightly as she looked at him, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest as he pulled into the parking lot of McCormick and Schmick's and cut the engine. "Since when do I have to ask you to go somewhere? Last I checked you didn't own me."

James growled as he got out of the car, cringing as Bella did the same, slamming the door hard behind her. "Easy!"

"Yeah, God forbid I hurt your precious car," she bit back, smoothing the skirt of her calf length black dress. "What are we doing here? I hate this place."

He ran a smoothing hand over his dirty blond hair and straightened his dinner jacket before stepping to her side and grabbing her hand. "No you don't. You love this place."

Bella chose to ignore his comment and allowed him to pull her into the restaurant.

He gave hostess an arrogant smile allowing her to admire his broad, muscled physique momentarily before speaking. "Yes, we're meeting a group here. The name's Hunter… Party of 15."

"What the hell?" Bella asked, none too happy as James pulled her through the restaurant and stopped at a long table filled with both of their families. "What's going on?" she hissed, yanking her hand from his grasp.

"Just calm down," he said sweetly, pulling out a chair for her to sit in.

She eyed him warily as she sat down and glared into the smiling faces of her parents.

"Hey honey… how was your trip?"

"Fine…" she replied shortly, turning towards the waitress to order when James did it for her. "Excuse me ma'm? Yeah, I don't want that…" she said pointedly, pinning him with an irritated gaze. "I'd like the 7-oz Filet Mignon, medium well, with steak fries and a house salad with ranch. And instead of wine, I'd like a Bud Select."

She turned back to the table to find everyone looking at her like she'd sprouted another head but shrugged it off and leaned back, crossing her arms over her stomach, preparing for the nightmare she was about to suffer through.

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Ben asked as he leaned against the door frame, watching Edward throw clothes into a few suitcases. "She's just some girl. There are plenty of them lying around here. Why ya gotta go all the way to Seattle?"

Edward turned to look at his friend. "You don't understand Ben. She's amazing."

"Dude, she won a contest. The contest is over. How are we going to explain you running off to get the girl back that you never really had? She's a nobody."

He shook his head and zipped up his suitcase. "No. Ben, she's sweet and funny and… and… she doesn't care who I am. I've never been that comfortable around someone before."

"I don't know… Jasper's…"

"Fuck Jasper. I don't give a shit what he says about this. I'm on vacation and if I wanna fly my ass to Seattle to find a girl that I had one night with to try to see if there's something there, then damnit I'm gonna do it. I'm a grown man and he can't tell me what to do."

Ben raised his eyebrows, knowing Jasper was gonna hit the ceiling when he found out.

"Just don't tell him where I've gone."

"What? How…"

"He doesn't need to know Ben. I'll let him know when I'm ready. Now is your ass gonna take me to the airport or not?"

* * *

Once dinner was cleared away, Bella ordered another beer and rested her elbows lazily on the table as she waited impatiently for the next to magically appear.

James rose next to her and tapped on his wine glass. "I'd like to thank all of you for being here tonight. I know our families have been inseparable for years and I'd like to take tonight and take it a little further." He glanced at Bella's parents before looking down at her with intense blue eyes, before he lowered to his knee. "Bella. We've been together since we were in diapers and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

She snorted a laugh, quickly covering her mouth as she did so. "You think that was romantic? We've been together since we were in diapers? So what you want us to be together until we're in diapers again? Yeah, I don't …"

He quickly silenced her by pressing his mouth roughly against hers and shoving the ring he held on her finger. "You're drunk," he hissed. "Keep your mouth shut."

With a smile he stood back up and their families smiled and congratulated them, no one noticing the crestfallen look of despair on Bella's face as she gazed at the heavy ring the burdened her tiny finger.

* * *

"Ali?!" she called as she stumbled into the house, not bothering to pick up the keys she'd tossed to the floor instead of the table. "Ali?!"

Alice appeared at the top of the stairs with her hair sticking in every direction, obviously messed from sleep. "What? Why are you yelling?"

Bella held out her left hand. "That fucker proposed! In front of both of our families…"

Alice hurried down the stairs, staring in awe at her friends ring. "What the hell? Are you drunk?"

Bella nodded her head and started crying uncontrollably. "I didn't even answer, he just shoved this huge ass thing on my finger and told me I was drunk to keep my mouth shut."

"This isn't going to happen. Just tell your parents…"

"Do you really think they're going to listen? My dad might give me a second thought, my mom on the other hand would disown me before she let me break it off." Bella pushed past her and went into the den and sat at the desk, pulling up her email, not surprised when she had none.

"Oh… I've gotta show you something…" Alice said, sounding a little too excited for Bella at the moment.

"What?"

Alice typed in a web address and clicked a few links then backed away from the computer. "Look…"

Bella sighed and looked down at the computer, her breath quickly getting caught in her throat at a picture of she and Edward from the previous night. "Oh my God… How… this was just last night…"

"The technology of digital cameras…being a photographer this shouldn't come as a surprise to you." Alice said. "You guys look like a real couple Bells."

"I wish we were. Then I wouldn't have this shit to deal with," she muttered throwing up her hand in disgust. "I'm gonna go to bed alright. Don't wake me in the morning. Hopefully I'll sleep long enough for James to think I'm dead."

Alice watched her retreat up the stairs, then quickly right clicked on the picture and pressed print. She took the paper and posted it on the refrigerator then went quietly to bed.

* * *

"Hold your damn horses…" Alice yelled as she slowly made her way down the stairs to answer the pounding on the front door. "It's five in the fuck…"

"Sorry…"

Her mouth hung open when she found Edward standing there with an anxious smile and a suitcase.


	6. Chapter 5 : Corrected Chapter

**__**

AN: So HOW BOUT I'M A DUMBASS! No wonder you guys were completely confused. I posted the wrong chapter yesterday. I'm so sorry!!! I feel so stupid. Anyway... hopefully you'll all forgive me and everything will make more sense now that you know what's going to happen. And I'll go ahead and post chapter 7 as well so you'll get some new information today. Again I'm sorry... I think I was in Kellenland... or quite possibly Blake Gideonland and forget what the hell I was doing.

**_And just as a side note... if you've gone 14 years without having bangs... don't get them again. I haven't had them since I was 17 and being as one of my best friends is a hairdresser I let her do what she wants with me hair and I'm about to claw my eyes out from the stupid bangs brushing against my eyes. Luckily she didn't do a lot of them and they're fairly long to begin with or I'd be in a mental institution by the end of the week._**

**_Anyway... enjoy re-reading because of my goof!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

**_

* * *

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Chapter Five

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Edward smirked. "Nice to see you, too. Can I come in? It's cold out here."

"Y… Yeah…" she nodded, stepping aside to allow him in, not failing to notice the two suitcases he had with him. "Vacation?"

He shrugged and followed her into the living room, promptly sitting on the plush leather sofa when he did. "Is she here?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah but she'll probably be out for a while and nursing a hell of a hangover when she gets up. But the better question is why are you here?" She crossed her arms over her chest realizing for the first time that _the_ Edward Masen was standing in her living room and she hadn't felt the urge to jump him at all.

Edward leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. "I haven't been able to get her off of my mind since I left her at your room the other night and the more time passes the more crazy I'm going. I've got to see her."

"It's only been a few days."

"It feels a hell of a lot longer than that."

"Where are you staying?"

"Don't know. I just hopped on the first plane here. I didn't think that far ahead."

"Jesus. Come on." She stood up and took one of his suitcases and led him back through the foyer into the kitchen and motioned towards a door off to the side before opening it and stepping in ahead of him to reveal a small but comfortably sized bedroom. "You can stay here if you want. I'm going back to bed to get some rest or whatever, but be quiet. It's Saturday and I never get up before noon."

Edward watched her close the door behind her and fell back on the small twin bed, noticing the slope of the ceiling and the loud footsteps above. The room under the stairs.

He took off his shoes and slid beneath the covers, not realizing how tired he was until he'd laid down. He'd gotten about four or five hours of sleep in two days, now he had a chance to rest.

* * *

Bella stood in the shower, letting the scalding water wash away the night before. She couldn't believe the nerve of some people. Her engagement ring was in her retainer case, soaking in Efferdent and she had absolutely no intention of removing it. As far as she was concerned she wasn't engaged and come tonight she was going to tell James exactly where he could shove it.

What upset her most was her family sitting there watching it happen. How could they think she was happy with him? Sure he was handsome, but he knew it. He was the football god of the elite private high school that they'd attended and then later at the University of Washington. Now he was a cocky junior partner at her father's architectural firm and thought the world owed him a favor. Well she sure as hell didn't.

She stayed in the shower until the water turned cold and slowly stepped out, drying her body before wrapping her hair in a towel and slipping into her robe.

A quick glance at the clock as she walked through her room told her Alice wouldn't be awake yet so she quietly padded down the stairs and into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

She sat down at the table and looked at the clock again before resting her arms and head on the cool ceramic top and dozing quietly until the coffee maker buzzed, letting her know it was done. She took her favorite mug, a purple Eeyore mug her big brother had bought her at Disney World, out of the cabinet and poured a cup.

Opting to forgo the sugar for one morning, she opened the refrigerator and poured a bit of milk in the mix and closed the door, her eyes quickly falling on the picture of she and Edward that Alice had obviously felt was necessary to put on the refrigerator.

Bella took the picture down and carried it to the table, staring at it closely while she sipped her coffee.

Alice was right. They looked like a couple. His arm was settled casually around her waist as she did the same to him, their bodies were angled towards each other and both of their faces revealed huge smiles, the kind that reached their eyes. It wasn't fake, it was … right.

They just looked comfortable with each other. No one would have known it had been a one time only thing if the contest hadn't been announced nationally.

Without realizing it, she reached down, tracing her finger along Edward's face. That's when she felt she was being watched.

She looked up and in the doorway of the spare bedroom, Edward leaned casually against the wall, his eyes heavy with sleep and the smile tugging at his lips one of relief.

"Edward…" Quickly placing her mug on the table she stood up, realizing she was still in her robe and had a towel wrapped around her head. Maybe she was hallucinating. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them and he was still standing there. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you."

"Oh my God… Oh… I…I'm in a robe… I'm still in my robe" she muttered nervously. "I'll be right back."

Edward chuckled as she ran out of the room and up the stairs, not bothering to quiet her trek as her door slammed a moment later. He walked over to the table and picked up the picture she'd been looking at and smiled. Hopefully this feeling was mutual.

She returned a moment later in a pair of jeans and a beige cable knit sweater with her hair hanging in damp waves around her face, as far as he was concerned she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life.

He dropped the photograph on the table and walked towards her where she stood nervously in the doorway.

Bella looked up into his face as his arms slipped around her waist and pulled her against him. In return she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his chin, savoring the feel of his body against hers. "How'd you find me?"

Edward chuckled and stepped back. "I just searched every college directory in Seattle until I found you."

She laughed. "Should I be scared, cause that sounds a little creepy?"

"Well, Jasper wouldn't give me any information on you so I had to find it myself and that's the only way I knew how."

"When did you get here?" she asked, pulling away from him to wash her mug and clean up the coffee before Alice came downstairs. "Do you want some coffee?"

He shook his head and sat at the table, watching her clean things up before she joined him again at the table. "You wasted a lot."

"Well Ali doesn't drink it, definitely doesn't need it and you didn't want any."

"I know," he shrugged. "I'm not much of a coffee drinker. Only if I really have to be up early. And to answer your question I was pounding on the door at five this morning and a very annoyed pixielike woman answered the door."

Bella smiled. "Yeah, Ali before dawn. Never a good thing. Where are you staying?"

Edward motioned over his shoulder. "_In the cupboard under the stairs. _I feel like Harry Potter. At least I've got more room than he did though. And I don't have large people going up the stairs knocking dust and crap down on me."

They sat silently for a moment, staring at each other. "I can't believe you're here. I thought I'd never see you again… well cept when Ali's watching a race."

"You really aren't a fan?"

A soft smile crept to her mouth. "Nope. Never have been. But I haven't really had a reason before."

* * *

"What do you mean he's not here?" Jasper asked, trying his best to remain calm.

Ben shrugged. "He's not here. I don't know what to tell you. I haven't seen him in a few days." He left the door open for Jasper to follow him inside, not surprised when his friend searched all of the rooms looking for him. "What's the problem anyway? I thought he was on vacation till after the first of the year."

Jasper shrugged. "He is. I just didn't want him doin anything stupid. He's got his head so far up that Bella girl's ass right now he can't think straight."

"What's your problem with her man?"

"She's too innocent."

"And that's a _bad_ thing?"

Jasper looked at him for a moment before continuing. "No… I mean she seems too innocent. She showed up in New York, played the whole, I don't like racing shit, like she's never heard of us before and Edward just gets lost in her big brown eyes and shy smile."

"Sounds like you're jealous. Did she have a cute accent?"

"I'm not jealous. And what the hell are you talking about an accent? She's from Seattle."

"Did she sound like you?"

Jasper chose not to respond and flopped down on the couch next to him. "I just don't want Edward getting sucked into some little girl's game because she fluttered her lashes just right and giggled at the right time. I'm pretty sure she's just after the money and notoriety. Hell, I even had Wheldon try to make a move on her. No twenty-two year old girl turns down Dan Wheldon but she did. Something's not right there."

"Hmm… Some guy hits on her while she's on a date with another and she didn't bite… Evil _bitch_."

"Keep it up Cheney. If something happens to him, I'm holding you responsible."

* * *

Alice stumbled down the stairs shortly after noon and found Bella and Edward playing video games in the living room. She wasn't even aware Bella knew how an XBOX worked, much less how to play the games.

"Morning…" she mumbled, flopping into the chaise next to the sofa.

"Hey!" Bella sang back happily.

Alice watched them for a few minutes before noticing the absence of her engagement ring. Not that she blamed her. If James had shoved that ring on her finger like Bella said he did, she would've held him down and shoved it as far as she could down his throat before holding his mouth closed until he swallowed it.

A little chuckle of satisfaction bubbled up at the thought and she found Edward and Bella staring at her. "Sorry. Bells, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Bella frowned but nodded and followed her friend into the kitchen. "What's up?"

"What's going on?"

"We're playing video games?"

Alice shook her head. "That's not what I mean. What are you going to do about James?"

"I'm giving him the ring back. I'm gonna meet up with him later today and end things. And I made this decision before Edward ever showed up so I don't want to hear it okay. I'm not doing this because of him. I'm doing it for me. He's made my decisions for me one too many times."

"He's not going to take it well."

"I don't really give a damn."

* * *

Edward sat in the living room, still playing his game, though he'd turned the volume down a bit trying to hear what they were saying in the kitchen, pretty certain it was about him.

When they didn't come back after a few minutes, he turned the sound back up and continued playing until he heard a knock at the door, followed a few seconds later by another.

He frowned and paused his game and got up, walking to the kitchen door to find them deep in conversation so he decided to let them talk and went to he door himself.

After one more knock, he reached for the knob and opened it to find himself staring at a man just slightly taller than him, his chest was the size of a small elephant and the menacing look in his blue eyes told Edward he shouldn't have opened the door. "Can I help you?"

"Nope…" he pushed past Edward and slammed the door behind him and stalked into the kitchen. "Who's the pansy?" he asked motioning over his shoulder to Edward.

"Um…" Bella gulped. "That's Edward. He's… he's…"

Alice saw the panic on her friends face and rushed to Edward's side, slipping her arm though his. "He's my boyfriend."

"What the fuck?" Edward whispered as he glared down at her then cast a confused gaze at Bella. "Who is that?"

"Bella's soon to be former fiance…" Alice whispered back, feeling Edward's body tense beneath her touch.

He stared at Bella, his eyes becoming more and more angry with each passing moment but she looked down at the floor unable to hold his gaze. "I gotta get out of here."

Edward yanked his arm from Alice's grasp and pulled the keys from his pocket as he strode out of the front door, slamming it loudly behind him.


	7. Chapter 6 : Repost of Dec 2 update

**_AN: So you guys get a long chapter today... it's twice the size of what you normally get so I hope you enjoy it. I could probably make the chapters longer by merging some of them but I prefer not to so sorry. For those of you asking... Emmett and Rosalie have a few bit parts in the story but they are only minor characters. Don't hate me when you read their parts just remember everything can't be happy all the time in the fan fic world._**

**_And for those of you wondering what the difference is between NASCAR and Indy Racing... there's a lot. They're completely different types of cars, Indy cars are much faster, there aren't as many drivers in Indy and it's more of an International sport than NASCAR is. Those are just the basic differences I'm not getting into technicalities. Indy's a bit more ... uppity than NASCAR, even though there can and will be flashing at any track if you throw in alcohol so keep this in mind. ;D _**

**_Now... on with the goodness that is Edward and Bella._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

**_

* * *

_**

Chapter Six

James watched Alice run out of the house after Edward and turned to Bella, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her to him and leaned down to kiss her. "What was that about?"

She shrugged. "Lover's quarrel," she smiled nervously, squirming out of his grasp and walking around the kitchen table to put some space between them. "What are you doing here? I told you I'd meet up with you tonight?"

"Just couldn't wait to see you." He smiled and walked around the table, coming to a stop as he neared the refrigerator. His jaw clenched in anger as he turned towards her then looked back at the photograph on the refrigerator. "I thought you said he's Alice's boyfriend…"

Bella swallowed, backing away from him a little more. "He is."

"Then why are you two lookin' all cozy and dressed up in this picture? When was this taken?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her weight on her right leg. "That was taken when we were in New York a few days ago. He had an awards banquet to go to and Ali got sick so I went with him."

She chewed on her lip hoping he'd buy her story until she got around to breaking up with him. Not that it would make much difference. She never said she'd go out with him in the first place so breaking up should be an interesting event.

"Well he better keep his hands off of you. Nobody touches what's mine." He strode towards her, backing her against the wall, more than a little surprised when she pushed him away.

Bella walked away from him then turned back, her eyes burning with anger. "I'm not yours, James. I'm nobody's property so get that through your thick, egotistical, chauvinistic head."

"The hell you aren't. That ring on your…" He closed his mouth when his gaze fell on her hand and found it empty. "Where's your ring?"

"Yeah, James. We need to talk," Bella said snidely. "So you can either sit down or take this like a man and deny it but, I'm not gonna marry you."

He puffed up his chest in defiance and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's not what you said last night."

"I didn't say a damn thing last night and you know it, you overdeveloped cretin. You shoved that gaudy ass ring on my finger and told me to shut my drunk ass up. Well guess what? I'm not drunk anymore. I'm extremely sober and I'm not going to marry your overbearing ass."

James stalked towards her, hoping to intimidate her but she stood her ground, not batting at eyelash as he approached her. "You can't call this off. Your parents would disown you."

She shrugged. "Then they aren't the kind of parents I deserve."

"So you're just gonna throw away 22 years together? For what?"

Bella pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and started twirling her hair, trying to act like the ditz he assumed she was. "Um… a break from you. And it's not like we dated for 22 years. Hell I don't think we ever dated. You just forced me to go places and assumed I wanted to be there."

He shook his head adamantly. "You're not gonna do this…"

"Yes I am… Now, let me go get that ring for you."

* * *

"Edward! Wait!" Alice called as she ran out after him, closing the door of his car before he could get it open all of the way.

He glared at her for a moment then flipped his sunglasses down over his eyes. "I've got nothing to wait for. Why the hell didn't you tell me that shit when I showed up here this morning?"

"She doesn't love him."

"Yeah, well, being engaged is a weird way of showing it," he shook his head. "Jasper was right. I'm out of here."

She leaned against the door to keep him from opening it. "What exactly was Jasper right about?"

"Bella… You girls and your games. All of this shit. I'm not doing this. It's all about money and notoriety with you people and I'm not doing it."

"That's what you think?"

He shrugged. "What else am I supposed to think?"

"You see this house Edward?" Alice said, motioning over her shoulder to the house she and Bella lived in. It was a 3 bedroom brick garden home with impeccable landscaping and a two car garage. The only thing it lacked was an extra full bath.

"Yeah."

"It's Bella's. Paid for. $ 450,000 garden home. She also has 2007 Land Rover in the garage. Paid for. Now you really think this is about money? Hell, the house she grew up in could give the White House a run for its money."

Edward sighed and looked at the Maserati parked behind him in the driveway. "What am I supposed to think?"

"Just give her a few days. I promise she was on outs with James long before I entered her in that contest and that's why I did it. I wanted her to see that all guys weren't overbearing assholes. But she likes you. She really does."

"Fine," he said in resignation only because he wasn't ready for the flight back to Indiana so Jasper could laugh in his face and tell him 'I told you so'.

* * *

Bella, Alice, and Edward stood in front of the window, watching James peel out of the driveway and take off down the street.

"I'm free…" Bella said in a bittersweet voice and turned around to smile at Alice, not surprised when she pulled her into a hug. "How long do you think it'll be before I hear from my parents?"

Alice looked at her watch and smiled. "Ten minutes. He probably called them the second he got in the car."

She turned her attention to Edward and gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry about that. I swear to you I wasn't engaged while we were in New York."

Edward just hung his head. He was relieved that the guy was out of the picture but he still wasn't sure what the hell was going on with her. Of course he barely knew her to begin with.

"I tell you what… why don't you go get a shower and get dressed. I'm taking you out to lunch and we're going for a drive."

Bella didn't wait for an answer she just jogged up the stairs to her room and closed the door, leaving Edward and Alice uncomfortable in the foyer.

Alice decided to break the silence by clapping her hands together, slightly startling Edward. "Well… there ya go. And don't try telling Bella no… Once she gets her mind set on something, you're doomed to see it through. Come on, I'll show you where the bathroom is."

Edward followed her up the stairs and watched as she pointed out where everything was that he could possibly need before, during or after his shower. He stared after her for a moment and slightly shook his head.

* * *

"I'm driving…" Bella called as they walked out of the house and he started for his rental car. "Just pull your car over here." She pointed to a spot in front of one of the garage doors as the other opened to reveal a black Land Rover.

"You sure I can't drive?" Edward chuckled as he slowly surveyed the vehicle before getting in. "This is nice…"

Bella smiled and backed out of the driveway. "Thanks. I got it for my college graduation."

"Hmm… All I got for graduation was a job with my dad. I should've been raised here," he laughed as he looked out of the window, taking in the scenery as she drove down a winding road before coming to stop at an intersection.

"What do you want to eat?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I kinda want breakfast but it's a little late for that."

Edward tugged his hat down on his head, more out of habit than anything. It was the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday in Seattle and he was pretty sure he was going to get recognized before the day was over. Not because he was an Indy driver but because he'd done numerous ad campaigns for his sponsors and he'd already seen 2 or 3 billboards with his face plastered on them. Although it was nothing compared to how often he'd seen Jasper's face since he got here. It seemed Patron was very popular in the northwest.

"It's never too late for breakfast, Edward," she said as the light changed and she turned left then made another quick left into the parking lot of a Waffle House. "See. Come on."

Bella grabbed her purse and waited for Edward to get out of the car, noticing as he pulled his hat down again and made sure his sunglasses were securely on his face.

"You know you attract more attention with that stuff on don't you?" She stopped outside of the door and held out her hand, waiting a few seconds before he finally succumbed and handed her his hat and sunglasses. "Good boy. That wasn't so hard was it?"

They walked in, finding an empty booth at the far endof the restaurant so they walked the length of the counter and Bella slid in the booth on the seat facing the door and main flow of traffic, trying to help Edward out a little. She could tell he was more uncomfortable now that he didn't have his "security blankets".

They placed their orders and sat in silence, each staring out of the window watching the crowded holiday traffic.

"So have you lived here your whole life?" Edward finally asked, a little too uncomfortable with the silence.

Bella smiled and nodded her head in enthusiastically. "Seattle. Born and bred," she replied over emphasizing her accent.

Edward chuckled and shook his head. "Very cute."

"Where are you from? Your accent's kinda hard to trace."

"Indiana by way of Chicago and London…"

"Ah…that explains it a little better. How's London enter the picture?"

He rolled his neck and ran a nervous hand through his hair. "I was born there. My father was originally from Ireland and my mom was English. They met at Oxford, got married not long after that then I came along. I was four when we moved to the states."

"Do you parents enjoy racing?"

"They died when I was five..."

"Oh Edward! I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

He shook his head and offered a weak smile. "It's alright, I don't really remember them that well. I was adopted by some family friend's, Carlisle and Esme Cullen right after their death. They've really been the best parents I could ask for. And as for my parent's enjoying racing, I actually work for them. They own my race team."

Bella nodded slowly, offering Edward a smile as he looked up at her through lowered lashes.

Their food arrived and they ate in silence, both of them only slightly surprised when the waitress quietly asked for Edward's autograph when she handed them their ticket.

He signed her order pad for her and nodded appreciatively for keeping quiet. He gave Bella money to pay for their lunch which she pushed away and handed him her keys as she went to pay then met him in the car.

"What do you want to do now?"

Edward sighed. "What is there to do?"

"Oh! I know… Buckle up…"

Half an hour later they pulled into the lot of large convention complex and Bella hurried out of the car, eagerly awaiting Edward. "A little faster… geez you'd think for someone that races for a living you'd be a little faster."

"Shaddup!... What is this place?"

"Just hurry… Oh grab your hat. You'll probably need it in here, it looks a little busy but it shouldn't be too bad."

He shoved his hat down on his head and followed her into the building. Bella opened the door for him, allowing him to enter before her and he smiled. "Ice skating?"

"Is this not good? We can go somewhere else…" she asked, her smile faltering.

Edward smiled and turned to look at her. "This is great."

They paid and got their skates then went into the arena to put them on.

"When's the last time you did this?" she asked him warily as she stood up on wobbily legs.

"Um… about three years ago I guess. How bout you?"

She gave him a nervous laugh. "A hell of a lot longer than that. You're definitely going to have to help me. I normally have enough trouble with gravity so I tend to stay away from ice… blades… things of that nature."

Edward took her hand in his and led her to the rink entrance. "Just be careful. One foot at a time and go slow."

Bella nearly fell the moment she was on the ice, so she grabbed for him with both hands and he held her up, spinning around to face her. "Just don't laugh at me okay…"

"Never…" Edward said softly as she tripped once again and he chuckled. "Okay…well maybe if you do something really funny but I'll be laughing with you."

With both hands in his, he led her around the rink once, skating slowly backwards until she got the hang of it and he was able to just hold one hand and skate next to her.

Finally brave enough to go on by herself, Bella pulled her hand from his grasp and managed a few feet on her own before once again losing her balance.

Edward sped up to soften her fall and they landed in a laughing heap near the side of the rink, out of the way of others. "That was totally your fault," he grumbled as he sat up, rubbing his side. "Ouch…"

"Sorry," she winced. "I told you I'm rusty."

"I think you meant rusted and beyond repair," he laughed, receiving a firm punch in his arm.

She pouted and tried to stand, pulling herself up on the side but only managed to slip again and land in a defeated mess. "I give up." She pulled her legs up and leaned back against the side watching Edward as he did the same. "Sorry I'm not fun."

He smiled and pushed her hair out of her face. "You're fun. I promise." His eyes studied her face for a moment before speaking again. "You know when I asked you to spend the day with me in New York?"

Bella nodded, turning away to watch people pass by, unable to handle his intense gaze. "Yeah."

"I was gonna take you ice skating at Rockefeller Center."

She looked back at him and smiled. "Really? Glad you didn't waste the money now aren't you?" she laughed.

"No," he said softly shaking his head as he leaned closer and without another word, his lips brushed over hers.

The kiss was soft at first, barely a whisper of breath, before Edward slid his hands up to cup Bella's face and coax her mouth to yield to him. He deepened the pressure of his mouth against hers then slid his tongue across the seam of her lips before breaking through the barrier.

His tongue danced with hers in a heated passion before he pulled away gasping for breath.

"Wow…" she sighed, licking her kiss-swollen lips.


	8. Chapter 7

******_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

AN: Here's my apology for confusing everyone... And we should be back in order. Again I'm sorry, I've never done that so I guess it was just a matter of time.

And for those of you wondering about the sequel to Somebody. Its in the works and will be posted after I finish this, unless it's not finished then I'll be posting another story. I don't want to post it until it's finished. I like giving you guys daily updates and I can't do that unless its finished before I post.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Seven

Bella slowed the car as she and Edward arrived back from ice skating to a full driveway and none of them were cars she wanted to see. "Fucker…" she muttered as she pulled the car in behind her parents Bentley, leaving plenty of room for them to pull out around her.

"Who the hell owns a Bentley?" Edward asked in shock.

She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed her purse. "My parents. You may want to run straight for that cupboard under the stairs when we walk in."

They got out of the car and she looked back in the drive before noticing that James's car was parked in front of her parents.

They opened the door and stepped into the foyer unnoticed so Edward hurried into the room that Alice had shown him to the night before and she slowly entered the lions' den, casting an apologetic smile to Alice who was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest on the couch between Bella's mother and father.

"Hey…"

"Isabella Marie Swan what the hell are you doing?" her mother spat the moment she saw her, quickly jumping to her feet and rounding the coffee table to look her daughter in the eye.

"Standing in the living room," Bella replied dryly.

Her mother narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "Don't get smart with me young lady. You know what I mean. Why'd you give James the ring back?"

"Because I'm not going to marry him. Why else would I give it back?" she said walking away from her mother to sit on the piano bench.

"Oh yes you are missy."

Bella rolled her eyes and looked at her father who gave her a slow nod. "I'm not marrying him mother. I'm not going to be like you and depend on a man to make a life for me, especially if I don't love him."

"What the hell does love have to with anything? You'll be well provided for and taken care of."

"Oh my God woman, do you ever listen to the unbelievable shit that comes out of your mouth?!"

Bella shook her head and got up to walk into the kitchen, her mother firmly on her heels. They'd never been very close but since she had graduated from high school their relationship had become more and more strained. For some reason, Renee Swan couldn't grasp the fact that money couldn't buy you happiness something Bella and her brother, Emmett, had realized long ago.

Renee had grown up in a poor family of 8 children in rural Washington and had jumped on Charlie Swan the moment he'd shown her the slightest bit of attention when she was in college because he was her way out of the desolation she'd grown up in and she wouldn't have to waste the time with school in order to get there.

"You better watch your mouth young lady…" her mom nagged releasing an audible huff when Bella opened the refrigerator to pull out a beer.

"Why? What are you gonna do? Have my checking account frozen? Stop my credit cards? God forbid cancel our spa appointment on Wednesdays?" she rolled her eyes and threw her head back taking her time in finishing the beer before speaking to her mother again.

Renee shook her head. "What's happened to you Bells? You used to be so level headed and agreeable."

"I'm still level headed. And I've never been agreeable with you."

"This is killing your father Isabella…"

Bella crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her mother. She knew sooner or later she'd pull the father card. She'd always been jealous of her children's relationship with their father. Both Bella and her brother had always been close to him.

Even though he owned his own firm and worked a good 60 hours a week, he still always had time for his children, knowing very well that there were other ways of providing for your family besides money.

Charlie Swan was one of the few people that actually knew what kind of person James really was and had encouraged her to do what she thought was best in regards to their relationship. Yet, because of pressure from her mother she hadn't done it but that was about to change.

"Don't bring dad into this…"

"Why? Because you don't want him to be disappointed by his precious, Bells?"

"No, because it's not true," Charlie spoke from the doorway. "Don't bring me into this Renee. I could care less if Bella married James or not, I just want her to be happy, and with him she's not."

She turned around to look at her husband absolutely appalled. "Would you listen to yourself? He can provide for her and…"

"She can provide for herself, Renee. She's a very talented photographer. She has her gallery. Everything she has, she's paid for herself. I'm not going to force my daughter to marry someone that she doesn't love for the financial benefit of it. Just because you did it doesn't mean she has to."

Without another word he walked towards Bella, giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning back to his wife. "We're going home."

Bella watched her parents walk through the front door of her home and waited for James to follow which he didn't do until her father came back inside and got him.

When the door closed she collapsed in a chair at the kitchen table and rested her head on her arms. "It's finally over…"

"You really believe that?" Alice asked from the doorway.

Bella looked at her, an expression of helplessness dawning her face. "Nope…"

"Where's Edward?"

She motioned towards the bedroom. "I told him to hide. Edward!"

After a few moments he didn't come out so she got up and walked to the door, knocking softly still receiving no answer. She turned the knob and quietly opened the door, sticking her head inside to find him sound asleep, his feet hanging over the foot of the small bad and his arm thrown recklessly over his head.

Bella giggled and closed the door. "I don't know how but he's asleep."

Alice smiled, instantly perking up as she grabbed her friends hand and pulled her towards the living room, pulling her onto the couch next to her. "Talk…"

"Nothing to talk about," she replied innocently.

Her friend looked at her in disbelief. "You guys have been gone nearly 5 hours. There's gotta be something to share."

Bella shrugged. "Nope. We went to Waffle House to eat then down to Highland to skate. I fell a lot, he kissed me, we came home."

"I'm sorry. What was that? He kissed you?"

"Yes… Yes! Not that that's the first time..." she finally squealed unable to play it cool anymore as she and Alice began giggling and laughing.

"WHAT?!? Start talking now!"

* * *

Jasper stared at the computer screens around him and the steering wheel in his hands. They had a race tonight and he still didn't know where Edward was. He'd called his cell phone but it was shut off. He'd even called his parents and they had no clue where he was either.

He was pretty certain Edward had hopped the first flight to Seattle to find Bella and all he could do was wait until his friend came back with a broken heart when he realized what type of girl she really was.

The minute he met her he knew she was going to be a problem. Her sweet innocent face, big brown eyes and timid drawl were more than enough to get any man's attention along with the dress that she'd worn that night. As irritated as he was with her, he did little to hide his appreciation of her clothing taking full advantage of having to look past her to see the stage during the ceremony. On more than a few occasions, he'd let his gaze stray over her.

After a few more minutes Jasper decided to try his cell phone again, hoping maybe he'd been out of range when he'd called earlier. He dialed Edward's number and waited patiently as it connected breathing a sigh of relief when it began to ring.

"Hello?" a female voice answered, quickly confirming his suspicions.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Can I speak with Edward?"

"He's… hold on a sec, he was asleep… Yeah, he's still asleep. I'll have him call you back when he gets up."

"Thanks." Jasper hung up the phone and looked at the clock. "Asleep? It's eight o'clock…"

He shook his head and picked up a phone, quickly dialing a number. "Hey… Look I need you to find out as much as you can on that Bella Swan chick that won the date contest with Edward. He's run off to be with her and I need to know what he's getting himself into."

Dragging a tired hand through his hair he closed down the computer, not in the mood to race. He suddenly felt like a trip across country was about to occur.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_

**AN: Time for a brand new chapter. Hopefully everyone went back and read the corrected chapters that I updated yesterday, again I'm super sorry about that. Now... did anyone else hear that S.M. has decided to complete Midnight Sun once the Twilight craziness dies down a bit? They had the story on the local news yesterday but I haven't seen anything else about it so hopefully it's true. I absolutely refuse to read the 200-something pages she's posted on her website because if its not completed then it'll just end up driving me nuts in the end.**

**Now... has anyone seen Kellen in the Hilary Duff "With Love" video, commercial whatever the hell it is?! OMG... I'm not big on blonds (which doesn't explain my Jasper love) but that boy is just beautiful. And he just constantly has this look on his face that makes me think he's up to something. Too cute! I just want to hug him for like 3 hours straight. Nothing else... just some Kellen snuggles.**

**Now on to the update!**

* * *

Chapter Eight

Edward stretched his arms over his head and his fists came in hard contact with the wooden headboard. "Ouch…" he growled, glancing over to the alarm clock to see that it was a little past 9.

He'd laid down when they'd gotten back because he didn't know how long the confrontation with Bella's parents would take, he didn't realize he'd pass out. Of course, he'd only had a few hours of sleep since he'd gotten there and he'd gotten very little sleep since he'd met her.

Standing up he turned and looked at the small bed he'd been in, oddly, he wasn't cramped from sleeping in such small quarters, but his feet were quite cold. With a yawn he opened the door and stepped into the kitchen surprised to see it was 9 in the morning. He'd gotten over twelve hours of sleep.

The house was quiet so he assumed the girls were still asleep so he quietly ascended the stairs and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and get a shower then slipped on some clean jeans and a t-shirt before stepping out into the hall.

He looked between the two doors. He wasn't absolutely certain which one was Bella's so he approached the one closest to the stairs and tried the knob, cringing when it made a slight creaking as he slowly pushed open the door. Peaking though the small crack in the door, he saw an assortment of pastel paints splattering the wall in a messy yet appealing way and a large four poster canopy bed with a peek of chestnut curls showing from underneath the comforter.

Edward stepped inside and quietly closed the door and took a moment to look around the room. It was a strange mix of teenager and woman. Pictures were scattered all over the walls and mirror. Trophies lined some shelves and stuffed animals took up a large portion of the far corner.

He softly approached the side of the bed and squatted down gently resting his chin on the mattress as he watched her sleep.

Her soft skin was flawless and her messy waves were a mere halo around the angelic expression that graced her face. He looked over his shoulder and caught sight of a pen with little feathers on the cap and picked it up. Taking off the cap, he smiled as he just barely brushed the tip her nose with the feather, doing his best to hold in his laughter as her nose wrinkled up and she sniffled.

He did it again, with just a little more contact and she gently brushed her fingers over her nose, to scratch the itch. Biting down on his tongue, he did it one more time, not stopping when she attempted to brush it out of the way and she opened her eyes and squealed, quickly burrowing her face underneath the covers.

"Get out!" she called, her voice muffled by the thick comforter.

"What?"

"Edward," she giggled peaking at him, only her eyes uncovered. "Go away."

He shook his head and smiled. "No…"

"I'm horrible. Please. I don't want you to see me like this…"

He reached out and grabbed the comforter, pushing it back far enough for him to see her face. "You look beautiful. And you're gorgeous when you're sleeping…"

Edward leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips before she pulled away and covered her mouth. "I've got morning breath… you shouldn't have to kiss me like that."

He shrugged and walked around the bed, lying on top of the covers, his arms resting behind his head and his feet crossed at the ankles.

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused. She sat up and looked down at him trying to deny the stirrings she felt in her pit of her stomach.

He shrugged again. "Go brush your teeth. I'll be waiting when you get back."

"Waiting for what?"

"To kiss you. Now go."

Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head as she got out of the bed and padded towards the door, turning to glare at Edward when he started laughing at her. "What?"

"You have duckie pajamas…"

"Your point?"

He shrugged. "None… go…"

When she returned a few minutes later, she'd pulled her hair back into a bun and washed her face and to Edward, she was absolutely glowing. She sat on her knees on the bed, facing him.

He leaned up and met her halfway, cradling her face in his hands as he gently brushed his lips over hers and reached up to pull the clip out of her hair so he could bury his hands in her chocolate waves as he darted his tongue out, letting it caress the smooth seam of her lips before she opened to him and he took full advantage of her invitation.

She tasted like innocence and mint and he'd never tasted anything so wonderful in his life.

Bella leaned into him, allowing their bodies to lie back as she covered half of his chest with her own until he rolled them over and pressed the full weight of his body on top of her, pressing her gently into the softness of her mattress.

She tore her mouth from his and gazed up at him through hazed eyes. "Hold on…" she panted. "Edward… I… I've never… We've only known each other a few days this is moving too fast…"

Edward smiled and nodded, pressing another gentle kiss to her lips. "I'm sorry. I got carried away." He rolled over and sat up, watching her, slightly amused with her embarrassment.

"Are you mad?"

He shook his head. "No. I feel like I've waited forever to find you and I'm not going to blow it because I can't control myself for five minutes."

She smiled at him and stood up to walk to her closet.

"So you've never… had sex before?" he asked slowly, while he couldn't believe someone as beautiful as Bella had never been with a man, it made him happy that she hadn't wasted something that precious on anyone else. But he had a feeling the more he got to know Bella, the more she'd surprise him. She seemed to be the all-American girl and God help him, he wanted her more than he'd wanted anything else in his life.

And it wasn't purely a sexual need. Something in his heart ignited when he was with her and he was determined to find out if this was really what he thought it was.

Bella smiled and nodded. "No. I've never really felt the need to. And I sure as hell wasn't going to waste it on James."

"So you're willing?"

"When I feel it's right… and I know the other person's the right person. Now, do you have a polo or a little nicer shirt to wear? Church is in an hour and if you're staying in my house, you're going."

Edward's eyes widened. "Church?"

* * *

"What the hell do you want?" Jasper growled into the phone. It was barely past ten and he'd been up until at least 5 with his latest conquest. Or should he say, _he_ was _her_ latest conquest. He'd run into her at a party last night and hadn't been able to ditch her until a few hours ago. An early phone call was not what he needed.

"Jasper? It's Ben."

"Why?"

Ben cleared his throat before speaking. "Shut up. There's absolutely nothing on Bella Swan. Nothing bad anyway. She's the daughter of a prominent Seattle architect, she has an older brother named Emmett, you may have heard of him, he played with the Seahawks for a while before he blew out his knee. Um… she's got a degree in art from the University of Washington and is studying to get her masters. She has an art gallery in a trendy area of Seattle. Has a $ 400,000 garden home, a Land Rover and plenty of money."

"That's it? No criminal records?"

"Not even a ticket."

"Shit…"

"The only thing I found was her name on an accident report but her brother was driving the car, she was a passenger, apparently he was unconscious or unable to sign it. But she's squeaky clean."

"Damnit."

"What were you expecting to find Jasper? Is it so hard for you to believe that maybe she's not after Edward for the reason you think she is? Hell she didn't go after him anyway. He went after her."

"How did you know that? I didn't say he was out there."

Ben was quiet for a moment, mentally cursing himself for speaking before he thought. "I just assumed since you had me digging up dirt on her, you'd tracked him down."

"Whatever. I'm going back to bed, Ben. Keep digging."

Jasper slammed down the phone and rolled onto his back. He couldn't believe this. Nobody had a clean record. Unless she was Miss All American Miss, he was confused. There had to be something she'd done. What twenty-two year old girl was that well behaved?

* * *

Edward stood nervously in the foyer as he waited for Bella and Alice to leave for church. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been up early enough to go to church, much less done it.

Bella smiled at him as they came downstairs and she handed him a Bible. "There ya go… OH… um… Jasper called you last night."

"What? What'd he say?"

Bella shrugged. "Nothing really. I just told him I'd tell you he called. You were passed out, I didn't want to wake you. Is that okay?"

Edward nodded. "Yeah. It's fine."

"Ready?"

He sighed. "Yeah, assuming I don't burst into flames once I get a foot through the door."

Alice laughed. "You've been a bad boy then?"

Bella just rolled her eyes and laughed. "Not as bad as he'd like to be I'm sure…"


	10. Chapter 9

**_AN: Alrighty guys here's the next update and you'll finally get some Emmett. I just plead with you not to kill me because of his character. Please keep in mind that I love Emmett Cullen with abandon and I love Kellen Lutz so it is absolutely nothing against character or actor its just how things worked out. _**

**_I love you all! Really I do!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

**_

* * *

_**

Chapter Nine

Bella and Alice laughed as Edward hurried out of the sanctuary and out into open air. They found him leaning against one of the brick columns biting at his fingernails as throngs of people passed by to go to their cars.

"Bella!"

She turned to find her father, pushing through the congregation to catch her before she left. "Hey Daddy," she smiled, kissing his cheek as he pulled her into a hug.

"Hey Pumpkin, look, I know you two normally have Sunday lunch with us but I promise it will be more than fine if you don't come this week. I'm tempted not to go myself. Your mother and James have been making me crazy."

Bella smiled at him. "I think I'm just gonna take Alice and Edward to go see Emmett."

"Edward?"

"Oh! God! I'm so rude." She took her dad's hand and led him over to where Alice stood waiting with Edward. "Daddy, this is Edward Masen. Edward, this is my dad, Charlie."

Her dad smiled and held his hand out to shake Edward's who nervously did the same. "Nice to meet you, Edward."

"You too, sir," Edward nodded politely.

"How do you know the girls?"

Edward looked nervously at Bella and she smiled.

"Dad, I met Edward in New York."

"You met him a week ago? And he's here now." The sudden unease her father's voice didn't go unnoticed.

She smiled at Edward and Alice. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Charlie nodded and followed her a little ways down the corridor. "Look, last week when Alice and I went to New York, we won tickets for the trip because she entered me in a contest to win a date with a Indy driver. Which she didn't bother telling me until Edward showed up at the hotel room in a tux ready to take me out. Daddy, I had the best time with him. He was a perfect gentleman, has been nothing but since I met him and then he took me back to the room and asked if we could do something the next day. I didn't know we were leaving until later. But yesterday morning, when I woke up, he was in the kitchen."

"What?"

"Apparently he took the first flight out of Indiana to find me. He's staying in the spare bedroom off of the kitchen."

"You barely know this boy, Bella. What are you doing letting him stay in your house? And a racecar driver?"

Bella smiled up at her father with big brown eyes. "Dad, he's… I'm happy."

Charlie smiled and reached out to brush her cheek with his thumb. "Okay… Just be careful, baby. You've never been one to make rash decisions and I don't want you getting hurt because you let some fast driving car jockey sweep you off of your feet."

"I won't."

He nodded and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you later then. Tell Emmett I'll call him this afternoon." With another wave at Alice and a "nice meeting you" to Edward he ran off to join his family.

"Everything okay?" Alice asked, noticing Edward still nervously biting at his nails.

"Yup," Bella smiled, looping her arm through Edward's. "Everything's fine."

* * *

"Did you call Emmett before you decided to come over here, Bells? He hates when you drop in with people," Alice asked as she drove down the long winding drive to her brother's house.

She rolled her eyes at her friend and looked at her in the rearview mirror. "I talked to him last night. He said it was fine."

Edward looked out of the window in awe as she pulled to a stop in front of a huge 2-story brick home. They got out of the car and he looked towards Bella to see the entire cityscape behind her. "Wow…" he said breathlessly.

"You can see everything from up here," she smiled as she followed him to the edge of the driveway. "That's why Emmett chose to build here. You know, big brother and all, likes to keep an eye on things."

Edward chuckled. "So what does your brother do?"

"Retired NFL. Played with the Seahawks for about ten years before he blew out his knee."

"Wow. Should I keep quiet about football then?"

Bella giggled. "You're fine as long as you're not an Colts fan."

"Shit…"

"Just tell him you don't follow football then, I'd prefer to eat today."

"10-4."

Edward stood anxiously behind Bella as she rang the doorbell, listening as it echoed through the halls revealing the sheer size of the house.

A beautiful blonde woman that appeared to be in her early 30s answered the door and immediately enveloped Bella in a hug. "Hey girl. How are you doing?"

Bella smiled. "I'm wonderful, Rosalie, how are you?"

"Tired," she laughed and stepped aside to allow them in.

"Rose, you know Alice…"

The woman rolled her eyes and pulled Alice into a hug. "You act like I've met her once. I've known her nearly as long as you. But this hot little thing, is new…" she smiled looking at Edward.

"Edward… this is Rosalie, my brother's… I never can think of how to introduce you Rose. She's the nanny, the cook, the maid, pretty much anything Emmett needs when he needs it," she frowned for a second as she appeared to be going back over the connection in her mind to make sure she'd gotten it right. "Anyway, Rose, this is Edward."

Rosalie smiled and shook his hand before turning back to Bella. "He's a hell of lot sexier than James."

"Anyway, is Emmett here?"

"Right here, babygirl…" he called from behind them.

Edward turned around and watched as Bella and Alice ran towards a man with close cropped brown curls in a wheelchair. A frown creased his brow and he felt a comforting hand on his arm. Looking over at Rosalie she smiled and patted his arm. "Car accident about three years ago."

He nodded and walked towards Bella when she turned and smiled at him.

"Em, this is Edward…"

Edward held out his hand and smiled, nearly whimpering in pain as the man took his hand and shook it, an obvious warning to be careful with his little sister in his greeting. "Nice to meet you, Edward. You're a hell of driver. Drove the shit out of that car this year."

"Thanks. I've got to do what I can before I get the big bucks and really blow it."

Emmett chuckled and wheeled between them down the marble corridor to the dining room.

Despite being in a wheelchair, Emmett's presence was still intimidating. His broad shoulders and muscular arms only enhanced by having to wheel himself around.

"You okay?" Bella asked.

Edward smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just wasn't expecting…"

She patted his arm and led him into the dining room where Alice was sitting next to Emmett making small talk. She'd had a crush on him for years, even though he was nearly 10 years her senior.

They sat through a quiet but enjoyable lunch then after a quick tour of the house, they decided to head back before it got dark. It was already close to 4 and they had at least a forty-five minute drive back home.

"That was nice. You're brother's a great guy."

Alice laughed. "Helps that he thinks you're a kick ass driver huh?"

Edward chuckled. "Definitely doesn't hurt."

"So you had a good time?"

"Yeah. I… I don't want to be nosy or anything. But where's his wife? I noticed he was wearing a ring and Rosalie wasn't I thought that maybe..."

Bella looked back at Alice, signaling for her to tell the story.

"Cassie died three years ago in the accident that paralyzed Emmett."

Edward looked down at his lap then out the window. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's fine." Bella added. "Rose stays with him to help with the kids and to help him. He has some pretty rough days and as much as he wants to do everything himself, it doesn't always work out that way. It helps though now that the boys are getting older."

"Where were they?"

"Probably at a friend's house. They go to church with some friends from school because he really hasn't been able to forgive God for what happened. He doesn't want that to interfere in the kid's lives though. He's done as much as he can to keep things the same as they were when Cassie was here. Rose has really helped a lot. Probably doesn't hurt that she's in love with him, makes it that much easier for her to put with him when he's being a jackass."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, has been for years. Rose graduated from high school with Cassie and Em. She lived in LA for awhile modeling and some small acting of bits and stuff but after the accident she gave it all up and came home. She and Cassie were best friends, despite Emmett being the guy that came between them. So she came home and moved in with Emmett. Treats the boys like they're her own. She's really done wonders with Emmett. I think one day he'll get around to recognizing that there is something more there and she's not going anywhere. Then again Alice is in love with him too."

Everyone was silent for a few minutes before it became nearly unbearable.

"He liked you though," Alice chimed in. "Hell of a lot better than James. God I'll never forget the first time James thought he was big enough to take on Emmett, remember Bells?"

Bella laughed. "Yeah. He had him on his ass within five seconds. I swear they never got along though. Not that he and I did either."

"Anyway… on a happy note…"

"Yes?"

Alice smiled as she looked between the two people in the front seat. "I'm really horny, so Bells, do you mind if I borrow Edward, cause I know you're not gonna have sex with him anytime soon?"


	11. Chapter 10

**_AN: I would just like to start off by saying you guys rock! Thanks for all of the reviews so far especially the last chapter. I honestly expected some backlash from Emmett being in a wheelchair but glad I didn't. It just went with the story so thanks! Also, for those of you that have asked... Yes there will be some sexy time in this story, that's why it is rated M. Granted I had a story that was rated M and didn't have sexy time but it was very much insinuated so there._**

**_On a different note, I'm not sure how many of you out there are reading The Vampire Academy series but if you aren't I strongly suggest you do. I'm so compltely addicted to those books and after finishing the third I don't know how I'm going to hold out until next August for the fourth. It's just that wonderful. We definitely need some more VA fan fic. Preferably some Adrian/Rose but I'm not anti-Dimitri either. Don't know what I'm talking about? READ THEM!!!_**

**_Btw... regarding this story... it was written before the movies were in talks so my Alice (though I completely agree with Ashley Greene *love her, literally, I'd go les for her*) anyway, my Alice is Ginnifer Goodwin, at least that's who I had in mind when writing this. If you aren't sure who she is look her up on IMDB. _**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Ten

Bella went to bed around nine that night because she had to be at the gallery early for a new shipment so Edward and Alice crashed on the couch, flipping channels aimlessly because there was absolutely nothing on.

"Oh… the sex lady!" she laughed. "Let's watch this."

Edward chuckled and offered her a cheese puff. "Big fan of this show?"

"Nope, just need something to amuse me for a little while. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier… ya know the borrowing you for sex thing…"

He shook his head and laughed as Sue Johansen illustrated the tightening of an anus with her hand. "God this woman needs help. You didn't make me uncomfortable. Why'd you say it?"

"Cause I'm horny and need to get laid. Why else would I say something like that?"

Edward propped his legs up on the coffee table and looked over at her. She was definitely cute. Her messy, short cropped hair was the darkest shade of black he'd ever seen, her eyes a vibrant blue sparkled with constant amusement and her skin was flawless. Definitely cute but also not his type.

Of course, he couldn't exactly remember what his type was, prior to Bella.

"So what's the deal with you? No boyfriend?"

Alice just shrugged. "Had one back in college but it was never anything serious. He's really the only one I ever had. I've been in love with Emmett for so long I don't even pay attention anymore. I just focus on the one guy I can't have."

"Emmett huh? I thought Bella was joking."

"Nope! Guilty. God I swear he's the most beautiful man in the world. He's just this golden god, ya know. Tan, dark brown hair, beautiful smile and he has the most penetrating brown eyes… You know what I'm talking about though. He's a male Bella. They're just perfect."

"How long have you had it for him?"

"Since I met him… I guess it was… six years ago. I had just gotten my license and Bella and I went out to get a movie and I kinda had an accident on the way home and she called him to come get us. When he got out of the car it was like this golden light just surrounded him. He was so beautiful. He had just gotten married to Cassie when I met him too obviously it was well beyond my reach. Not to mention he's like ten years older than me."

"Did Bella know from the start?"

Alice laughed. "Oh yeah. And she bugs me about it every chance she gets."

"How long have known each other a long time then?"

"Since junior year. I'm from Forks…"

Edward coughed as he choked on his chip, trying to keep from laughing.

"Yes, shut up. It's a little hole in the wall about three hours from here I guess. My parents weren't exactly in the running for parents of the year so DHR took me out of there and I got sent to live with my grandmother and aunt in Seattle. Bella was the first person that talked to me when I started school. No one else would give me the time of day. As far as they were concerned I was white trash and I was disrupting their perfect school."

"Snobby school?"

"It's where the money is Edward honey… I'm sure we'll go to Bella's parent's for Christmas if you're still here, you'll see what I mean. Their neighborhood makes Emmett's house look like a shack."

Edward sighed. "Shit, I need to call Jasper back I guess."

"Jasper Whitlock?" Alice smiled. "Can I do it?"

"I'm not sure. He doesn't exactly like me being here. He thinks Bella's after my money."

She snorted. "Bella didn't even know who the hell you were before you guys met. I'm the Indy fan. She always got you and Jasper mixed up cause you guys are my drivers. She'd call you Jasper Masen or Masen Jasper or some shit. Never could get her to figure out you guys were two different people."

"Great…"

"So… can I?"

Edward sighed and took his phone out of his pocket. Jasper was gonna kill him.

* * *

Jasper glared at the television. He'd been watching porn for over an hour and he couldn't for the life of him get into it. He'd been so upset about Edward disappearing that it had begun to interfere with his sex life… in the fact that he hadn't had any for what seemed like weeks, though it was only a few days and that NEVER happened. He was still pissed at Edward for leaving but his mind had been eased slightly by Ben's report from earlier. Bella seemed to have plenty of money of her own but something still unsettled him.

And Edward had yet to call him back.

When his cell phone rang, he jumped to his feet and ran to the kitchen to grab it off of the counter, breathing a sigh of relief when Edward's number was on the id. "Bout damn time you called!"

A soft feminine laugh came over the line and he pulled the phone away from his ear to check the id again. "You been waiting on me too long, baby?"

"Who the fuck is this?"

"The woman of your dreams," she purred in a sultry low voice. "And I'm so damn horny right now, Jasper. I wish you were here with me."

"Huh?" he gulped, slightly unnerved by the effect that voice was having on him.

"If you were here right now, I'd be on my knees in front of you sucking that huge cock of yours. I bet you taste amazing…"

After a moment of silence Jasper checked to see if the phone had gone dead.

"Jasper?" Edward said, chuckling.

Jasper just cleared his throat. "What the fuck are you into out there man?"

"Huh? Oh that's just Alice, Bella's best friend. You'd like her. She's horny like you. So you're both annoying pains in the ass."

"Anyway, what'd you want?"

"You called me, I was calling you back."

Jasper muted the tv and sat down on the couch. "Sorry. I was just trying to find you. What the hell did you take off like that for?"

"Because I knew you'd try to stop me."

"Yeah…"

Edward laughed. "Man, you don't understand, she's amazing. I'm not just saying that. And she's not after my money."

"I know…"

"How'd y… You had Ben check up on her didn't you?"

"You can't really blame me can you? I just don't want you getting sucked into that shit you got into with Tanya."

Edward sighed. "I'm not gonna do that again. Trust me."

"Alright… hey did you know her brother played for the Seahawks? Emmett Swan?"

"Yeah, I met him today. Pretty nice guy. Thinks I'm a kick ass driver too."

Jasper cracked up laughing. "Oh dear, that's good. Poor guy."

"I'm gonna go now Jasper, Alice and I are watching the sex lady…"

"Put her back on the phone… I'm horny. She keeps talking like that it might take care of things for a little while."

"Good night, Jasper."

"You're no fun, Masen. Night."

Jasper hung up the phone and unmuted the tv. This just wasn't working for him. He was gonna have to get a woman sooner or later. The sooner the better.

* * *

James walked into the office on Monday morning, more pissed off than he had been the night before and with each passing minute his anger elevated.

He couldn't believe Bella and Alice had brought that guy to church with them yesterday morning. And if he was Alice's boyfriend, what the hell was Bella sitting between them for.

"Hey James!"

He turned around and looked down the hall and smiled. "Yes…" he purred as he moved closer to Victoria Hitchcock. She'd been his assistant when he'd first started at the firm but had been moved to another department a few months ago.

She'd graduated from school the year before he and Bella and he'd always had a bit of a crush on her but being that he was younger than her, she'd never given him the time of day.

"Come here…" she smiled, curling her finger for him to follow her.

"Vicki, we can't keep doing this at the office, Charlie'll throw me to the curb…" he hissed, watching the soft sway of her hips as she led him down the hall towards her office.

Her long red waves hung loosely down her back and he was doing all he could not to reach out and grab her by it, throw her against the wall and fuck her until she begged him to stop. Something they'd done many times.

As much as he wanted Bella, she wouldn't give it up and if he'd valued his job, he wasn't going to make her, he'd had to find other outlets.

"This won't take a second," she said as she sat down at her desk and he moved in behind her. "Check this out."

She clicked on a few links and pulled up the picture of Bella with Edward that he'd seen at her house the other day. "I've seen that. So what? It's Alice's boyfriend."

Victoria looked at him like he'd lost his mind as she leaned back giving him a nice view of her ample cleavage. "That's not Alice's boyfriend. That's Edward Masen, James. He's a freaking racecar driver."

"What's your point?"

"This…" she clicked on an arrow at the bottom of the page that went to the next picture.

It was another of Bella and Edward sitting at a table with wine glasses and beer bottles scattered in front of them. She had a huge smile on her face as she looked down with her head turned towards him and his head was next to hers. He appeared to be whispering something in her ear.

On her other side, Jasper Whitlock was looking over at her through heavy eyes, his gaze predatory.

"And this…" Victoria chimed, clicking the arrow yet again.

The next picture was one of Bella and Edward on a dance floor. He was behind her with his hands on her hips and her ass cradled against his crotch. In front of her was a man who would no doubt dwarf James just by judging his height to Bella. He was holding one of her hands as he appeared to be dancing with her also.

Victoria turned around to look at James with a grin. "What do you think about your precious Bella now?"

James's jaw clenched and he ran a hasty hand over his mouth. "Who else have you showed this too?"

"No one," she shrugged. "But it's a public website. Anyone can find it."

She shook her head as he hurried out of the room, obviously more pissed than he had been when he entered. With a roll of her eyes, she pushed up her breast, readjusting her bra as she did so and straightened her back, returning to the project she'd started.


	12. Chapter 11

_****___

AN: So did I piss some of you off with the last chapter or what? I went from 21 reviews in chap. 10 to 8 in chap. 11. Way to make me feel good guys.

**Anyway... I'm still going to suggest you all read The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. Other than that, here's the update.**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

**_ And thank you to the 8 that reviewed._**

James hurried through Charlie Swan's outer office completely ignoring his secretary when she told him not to go inside.

He pushed the large wooden door open and stalked in. "Your daughter's out gallivanting with racecar drivers."

Charlie raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. "What's your point?"

"They can't be trusted! They use woman like toilet paper! One use and that's all it's good for."

Charlie watched the young man before him quietly as he ranted and raved, seeing a side of James he'd never seen before. One that was violent and angry. "Are you trying to tell me you think my daughter's a slut, James?"

"No, but she's lying. She said that Edward guy's Alice's boyfriend but he's not… Bella's messing around with him. And she was doing it while we were together."

"First of all, she's not lying to me. She introduced me to Edward at church yesterday morning and told me exactly who he was. Secondly, I don't blame her for lying to you. I'm seeing now what a controlling ass you are James, so I'd just like to thank you for letting me see this. And finally, I fully support my daughter's decision to not marry you and if you continue this behavior you will not have a job."

"But…"

"No, you listen to me," Charlie said, standing up to walk around the desk getting in James's face. Though in his late 50s, Charlie Swan was a well built man, intimidating when he needed to be. "As of Saturday, you are no longer a 'part' of this family. What my daughter does is her decision and she doesn't need you or anyone else telling her what she can and cannot do."

"Mr. Swan, I love your daughter."

"Well, I'll be sure she knows. Just as soon as I tell her you've been messing around with Victoria Hitchcock for the last few months as well."

James's jaw dropped and he looked at the man in front of him with disbelief. "I have not…"

"Why do you think we moved her to another department, James? We've got security video of you two in the elevator. Now get out of my office and don't come back in here unless you're invited. From this point forward, our relationship is business only."

* * *

Bella Swan opened the last box and wiped her brow. She'd gotten to work at 6 that morning for a new shipment and had spent a better part of the day going through all of the boxes for inventory purposes. She'd called in a friend of hers from college to work the showroom for the day, not wanting to lose any business because she couldn't be on the sales floor.

After recording the last item in her ledger she stretched her arms high over her head and rolled her neck. Her stomach spoke loudly and she glanced at the clock realizing it was nearing 1:00 and she'd yet to eat anything.

"Bells! There's someone out here to see you…" Angela called as she walked into the store room.

Bella frowned and looked down at her clothing. "Who is it?"

"Hell if I know but he's sexy as hell."

She smiled and shook her head. Angela was about three years older than Bella and had taken it upon herself to find Bella a man that wasn't James. She was definitely an older sister to her. "Is he alone?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay, well send him back, I'm gonna go wash up real quick."

Edward walked into the storeroom a minute later and watched Bella as she lathered her hands in the sink near the back door. He smiled at how cute she looked. Oversized overalls, a white Henley and her hair was pulled carelessly on top of her head, then wrapped in a bandana, she looked very artsy.

"Hey," she smiled when she turned and found him staring at her with a smirk on his face. "No comment. I've been doing dirty work today."

He shook his head and slowly approached her. "I wasn't going to say anything other than you look really cute."

Bella rolled her eyes and looked up at him with a smile. "What are you doing here? How did you find here?"

"Alice of course and I came to take you to lunch."

"You're a savior," she sighed, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Where ya wanna go? I'm up for anywhere that I don't have to be dressed decently."

"You're fine. And I'm up for whatever you are. I don't really know what's around here."

Bella led him into her office so she could get her purse and he took a moment to look at all of the pictures that lined the walls as well as certificates, trophies and plaques.

"You bowl!?"

Bella stuck her tongue out at him. "Yes and I kick ass."

"Yeah, I see that," he looked over her awards then stopped to look at some pictures of her with her brother, before the accident, with other football players and athletes.

"You ready?"

He nodded and followed her out of her office, placing his hand on the small of her back as they walked through the storeroom and onto the sales floor.

"We're going to eat Ang, I'll be back later. If not, you know what to do to close up."

Angela winked. "Whatever, boss. Have fun."

Edward followed her to her car and got in on the passenger side. "You know I was going to drive."

"But you don't know where anything is."

"Rub it in please."

"So… what'd do you want to eat? Mexican, Italian, seafood, Thai, pizza…"

"Mexican I suppose…"

Bella pulled onto the highway and drove for about fifteen minutes before pulling into a parking spot in front of a restaurant. "Will this work?"

Edward shrugged and got out of the car, following her inside. They were seated at a table in the backroom and placed their orders then sat patiently waiting for their food.

"Oh, did you ever call that Jasper guy back?" Bella said suddenly, barely swallowing the chip in her mouth before she choked out the words.

"Yeah… well, Alice called him."

"Oh God. I'm sure he hates me even more now after that."

Edward just laughed. "Actually he wanted to talk to her again after I was finished talking to him. She was talking really dirty. I didn't know you girls talked that way."

Bella blushed at the way he was looking her and shook her head. "Only Alice."

"That's a shame."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Why? You like dirty talk?"

"Only in the bedroom…" Edward said softly.

She swallowed hard and pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. "Oh…"

Edward chuckled and leaned back as their waiter placed their food on the table. They ate in silence and before she could protest he grabbed the check. After paying for their food they went back out to her car and she started back for the gallery.

"How much longer do you have to work today?"

She shrugged. "I don't. I'm just taking you back to get your car then I'm going home to sleep. I've pretty much worked a full day as it is."

Bella pressed the power button on the radio and flipped channels until she found something she liked and turned it up. It was fairly upbeat country song and Edward did his best to contain his groan until she started singing.

_Me and Charlie boy used to go walking,  
Sittin' in the wood behind my house.  
When bein' lovers meant a stolen kiss,  
An' holding hands with nobody else around.  
Charlie said he wanted to get married,  
But we were only ten so we'd have to wait.  
He said we'd never let our love run dry,  
Like so many do these days._

So we treat our love like a firefly,  
Like it only gets to shine for a little while.  
Catch it in a mason jar with holes in the top,  
And run like hell to show it off.  
Oh, promises we made when we'd go walkin':  
That's just me and Charlie talkin'.

Edward watched her with a smile as she got into the song, laughing at her added emphasis when she sang mason jar. She continued singing as she pulled up in front of her gallery and waited for him to get out of the car.

Just when she'd gotten back to the chorus of the song he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, silencing her quickly as he gently coaxed her tongue into his mouth and sucked it gently. He pulled away and pressed another quick kiss to her lips and got out and into his car, leaving Bella in a stunned silence as he backed out and drove away.

She looked forward and saw Angela standing in the window smiling and flicked her off. This was _soo _not good.

* * *

Alice closed the door behind her and listened to the dead calm that enveloped the house. She slowly walked up the stairs, doing her best to be as quiet as she could in case Edward was asleep, she didn't want to make him mad by stomping up the stairs.

Stopping at Bella's room she cracked the door and peaked in, smiling when she found Bella and Edward lying on top of the covers, both of them sound asleep as Edward spooned her, his arm hung lazily over her waist and she was snuggled into the covers, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Alice quietly closed the door and tiptoed in her room to get her digital camera then hurried back to snap a picture of them before they woke.

She padded down the stairs and put her camera into the docking station to print out the picture when she heard the loud shrill of a cell phone ringing.

Quickly pressing print, she hurried into the kitchen and followed the sound into Edward's room, snatching up the phone and pressing send before checking to see who it was.

"Hello?"

"Hello?"

Her eyes searched the room like it would give her answers as to who was on the phone, so she pulled it away from her ear and glanced at the name. "Jasper?"

"Yeah?"

She smiled as she sat back on Edward's bed. "So what are you wearing?"

"Alice?" Jasper smirked into the phone.

"Of course, nice to see I made an impression… So… as I was saying…"


	13. Chapter 12

****

AN: First of all... thank you guys for the reviews. You've redeemed yourselves and I can now post updates happily. I hope you don't all hate me for this update, I know you're wanting some Jasper / Alice but you'll have to wait a little while longer. And please keep in mind, Jasper's a cocky s.o.b. He may not be coming off that way on the phone because Alice amuses him at the moment but just please keep that in mind for future updates. I will tell you that he does redeem himself though because I love me some Jasper and I can't have him bein an assmunch.

**Now... I need to rant. I live in Alabama, I grew up in a house full of U.A. fanatics and my husband is a Tide fan. I'm sure if any of you have read previous rants you know I'm a Texas fan, I lived there for a while growing up, I have family there, my brother was born there, there's just a lot of things that tie me to Texas... so I'm just letting you understand my allegiance. The reason I'm ranting is because I'm tired of hearing about TIM TEBOW!! I understand that where we live SEC is god, they have defense blah blah blah and what's the Big 12 got besides offense. I swear if I hear one more time how he's the greatest football player in the history of college sports I will smash my foot under a brick or something. The guys a linebacker playing the quarterback position. So he can run the ball... big WHOOP! He's in the running for the Heisman again and this is what pisses me off... Colt McCoy is a better quartback than Tim Tebow and I never hear a damn thing about him anymore. Just look at the stats! That's all I have to say... Oh... and Sam Bradford's bullshit too. Sorry... sometimes I must rant and it just happens to be about football today.**

**Don't get me started on the Robert Pattinson phenomena. I think he's a good actor... and he's a beautiful Edward but other than that, does nothing for me. Color me confweezed.**

**Sorry guys I'm just having one of those days... it started at 2:30 this morning when a storm system came through and it started raining on the christmas tree in our living room through a leak that was supposed to have been fixed 4 months ago. And to top it all off, I have a dental cleaning today. WOO HOO!**

**Again... PLEASE READ THE VAMPIRE ACADEMY BY RICHELLE MEAD**

**For the person that asked about the song in the previous chapter it was Me & Charlie Talking by Miranda Lambert.**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_

* * *

Chapter Twelve

"So what are you wearing?"

"Alice?" Jasper smirked into the phone.

"Of course, nice to see I made an impression… now… as I was saying…"

He sighed in her ear and she could hear some rustling on the line. "Entirely too much since I expected Eddie to answer the phone…"

A soft giggle rang out from her mouth as she flopped down onto Edward's bed and placed her hand on her stomach, allowing her fingers to tickle softly at the exposed skin between her shirt and jeans. "Well what would you like for me to be wearing then?"

"Me."

* * *

Edward opened his eyes and leaned into Bella, inhaling the soft scent of her hair and pressed a kiss to her temple before rolling on to his back and glancing at the clock.

It was nearing 7:00 so he carefully got up and left the room quietly. He jogged down the stairs and went into his room, stopping to lean against the door frame when he found Alice deep in conversation on his cell phone, her face flushed.

"Ahem…"

Startled, she glanced over at him and smiled. "Oh…hey, here's Edward…"

He took the phone from her as she squeezed past him and he looked down at the call timer. She'd been on the phone for at least two hours. "Hello?"

"Hey Eddie, what's up?"

Edward chuckled. "I think the better question is what's up with you? You and Ali been havin fun? It's a good thing we talk for free cause I'd be extremely pissed when I got this phone bill."

"Oh shut up, I'd pay it. She's something else, I'll tell ya that. I didn't realize just how dirty some girls could be."

"Fuck, should I inspect my bedding before I lay down? You guys didn't have phone sex did you?"

Jasper laughed. "Naw man but we were certainly having phone foreplay. Look, are you planning on spending the holidays there?"

"Haven't really thought about it but Christmas is only about a week and half away so probably. I'm just not ready to leave yet."

"You think maybe I could come?"

Edward closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face. "Are you gonna be an ass to Bella?"

"I'm not gonna be anything to Bella. I plan of fucking the hell out of Alice though. That girl's got me so horny I could hammer nails through wood with my dick."

"Jasper don't come here and screw things up for me. And I swear to God if you hurt Alice I'm gonna have to kick your ass and I'm sure Bella's brother will help me."

"Hey, I can't help that she likes me."

"She's just got a thing for older men. She'd be with Bella's brother if she could trust me."

"Asshole, I'm not that much older than her. What? Five years? Six? Anyway, just let me know what you're gonna do so I can make plans."

Edward said he'd let him know and hung up the phone, tossing it on his bed before searching the house for Alice. He found her on the computer instant messaging none other than Jasper. "You know he's planning on coming out here to give you something for Christmas don't you."

Alice smiled at him. "Really?"

He chuckled at the expectant look on her face. "Trust me, it's not gonna be anything you can return if you don't like it."

"Edward, I'm not a virgin ya know. I think I can handle sex with Jasper."

"Fine, but don't come crying to me when he breaks your heart, he can be a cocky shit when he wants to be."

"My heart already belongs to someone else, Edward. He can't break something he doesn't have."

He shrugged and started back for his room when she stopped him. "Are you gonna be here for Christmas?"

"Probably."

"Well, Bella's parent's have a big party every year. Her dad called earlier to see if you were gonna make it. I told him I wasn't sure if you'd be here or if Bella had asked you."

Edward smiled. "Well, tell him I plan on being there."

"Will do," she smiled. "Oh and Edward."

"Yes?"

She stood up and grabbed something off of her desk. "Here."

He took what she was holding out to him and smiled at the picture of him and Bella sleeping. A smile tugged at his lips and he looked at Alice. "Thanks, girl." He gave her a hug and went back to his room, lying on the bed in silence while he stared at the photograph in his hand.

"I'm gonna marry this girl…"

* * *

Bella yawned and tried her best to pay attention to what her mother was saying but quite honestly, she didn't give a shit. Apparently, even though her father had banished James from family functions he was going to be at the Christmas party which technically was a business/ family ordeal.

Her father had called her earlier in the week to let her know that James had burst into his office having a fit about her dating a driver and he let her know that he'd called James out on his relationship with Victoria, which he'd tried in earnest to deny.

In all honesty, she wasn't surprised. He had been after Victoria all throughout high school even though he'd been dating her and she really couldn't care less.

As far as she was concerned they deserved each other. They were both manipulative bottom feeders that fed off of others misfortune and pain to get what they wanted.

"Bella are you listening to me?"

With another yawn she nodded. "Yes mother, I'm just tired. I had to get up early for work."

"Well, should I assume you and Alice are coming to the party?"

"Yeah, and Edward too. Then Ali's bringing someone but she won't tell me who. She's been chatting online with some guy when she's not on the phone with him so I can only imagine what's going on there."

Her father chuckled at Alice's antics, glad that his daughter was nothing like her best friend.

"Who's Edward?" her mother asked with distaste.

Bella rolled her eyes and looked at her father.

"That's Bella's new boyfriend, Renee. I met him at church on Sunday. Very nice boy."

Renee eyed her daughter with narrowed eyes. "Does he have money?"

"Jesus mother!" She pushed back her chair and walked around to give her father a hug and kiss and headed for the door. "I love you, Daddy."

"Bye, baby…" he replied as he glared at his wife.

"I swear you're more screwed up than I thought you were."

"I just want her to be provided for Charlie."

His jaw clenched as he stood up. "She can provide for herself, Renee. I want my daughter to be happy. And if she married the poorest man in the world, I wouldn't care." He stalked out of the kitchen leaving her alone as he went to get in his car. He needed to visit his son.

* * *

When Bella pulled into the garage she found Alice's car gone and Edward's parked off to the side of the garage. She went inside, hoping to find a quiet house that she could relax in.

Walking through the door off of the laundry room, she put up the few bags of groceries she'd bought and walked into the foyer towards the living room when something caught her attention.

Turning around, she walked slowly towards the dining room, smiling at the dim light of the chandelier and the two candles that lit the room. A fresh arrangement of white tulips adorned the middle of the table and two place settings had been set.

She raised her hand to her mouth to cover her smile as two arms slipped around her waist from behind and Edward pulled her against him, pressing a light kiss to her neck. "Hey beautiful."

Bella turned in his arms and smiled up at him. "Hey yourself. What's the occasion?"

"I paid Alice to disappear for a few hours," he chuckled as he lowered his mouth to hers. His lips brushed over hers a few times then his tongue teased the seam of her lips before darting in to capture hers.

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into his kiss as his hands traveled over her body. One holding the small of her back as the other cupped the back of her head all the while his tongue tortured and teased hers.

They broke away, breathlessly, as they leaned against each other until they caught their breath.

"So, what's for dinner?" she said softly, still not wanting to let him go.

Edward shrugged. "Yeah um… well, here's the thing. I can't cook, so we're gonna have pizza by candlelight, just as soon as it gets here."

"Edward?" Bella smiled, running her finger over the softness of his bottom lip.

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to impress me ya know. I'd rather eat pizza and drink beer in the living room while sitting on the floor and watching tv than in a dining room lit by candles because you're trying to impress me."

He took a deep breath. "Thank God."

She laughed as the doorbell rang and went to answer the door, taking the pizzas to the kitchen as he paid the delivery man and signed an autograph for him as well.

"Hey, I've got an idea."

She pulled down a bottle of Jack Daniels and waved it in front of his face.

"Oh shit. This might not be a good idea…" he murmured as she frowned at him.

"Party pooper," she feigned a pout as she took her plate of pizza into the living room along with the bottle of jack and two shot glasses.

Edward got his own plate of food and grabbed two cokes out of the refrigerator. He placed his things on the coffee table and slid down onto the floor to lean back against the sofa, watching as Bella shuffled around some dvds until she found what she was looking for.

He shook his head as the familiar sounds of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" rumbled through the surround sound and Bella plopped down beside him with a smile.

"Alright, Dazed and Confused, drinking game. You must take a shot each time the word "Man" is said. Also, each time someone is paddled, each reference to a sixer, each time Slater says "fuck" and "wasted" in the same sentence, each time someone says "Shotgun", each time someone in the movie drinks, each time someone talks about, sells, buys, smokes, or refers to marijuana, each time someone gives "Pink" the drug-free pledge paper and a double shot each time Mitch rubs his nose."

Edward looked at her in surprised. "You don't have to work tomorrow do you?"

"Hell no and I'm gonna enjoy this. No one but Ali has ever played this with me before and she always passes out before they even get to the Emporium."

He smiled at her enthusiasm and nodded. "All right. At least we're eating while we do this."

Two hours later, Bella leaned on Edward singing an off key rendition of "Summer Breeze" while he gently stroked her hair. They'd emptied the bottle of Jack an hour into the movie and then rushed into the kitchen for a six pack to finish the movie out with.

"Bells…"

She giggled and looked up at him, carelessly running her fingers over his lips until he darted his tongue and caught one in his mouth, causing her to squeal. "Yes…" she sighed, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth.

"I loves you…" he said softly.

Shaking her head, she tried her best to stand up, only to fall on top of him, her body wrapped haphazardly around his. "No you don't…"

He nodded his head and pressed his lips to hers. "Yes you do…

"Huh?"

"You do."

Bella shook her head. "You said you did, not me…I think"

"No I didn't."

She continued to nod.

"Oh fuck it…" he resigned, pulling her mouth roughly to his as he lost himself in her innocence.


	14. Chapter 13

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**AN: Thanks for all of the reviews yesterday guys! You rock. **Hopefully I'll get just as many for this update. And some of you may or may not hate me after this chapter but we'll see. Love you all. And guess what?! No cavities! Woohoo! I'm probably the only person in the world that doesn't mind going to the dentist but my teeth are still throbbing from the cleaning around my permanent retainer on my bottom teeth. Whoever invented those has issues.

**And.... I will continue to pimp The Vampire Academy books so please go read them! Also, check out the House of Night series (also great books, though not Vamp. Academy). Apparently the rights to these books have been purchased by the director of John Tucker Must Die so we'll be getting another vampire book based movie series soon.**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_Chapter Thirteen

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Alice sighed as she walked into the house and locked the door behind her. She put her umbrella in the laundry room and stopped to grab a piece of pizza out of the box on the kitchen table then strolled towards the living room. She blew out the candles Edward had left burning and stopped when she heard a soft moan coming from behind her.

Quietly walking towards the living room she dropped her pizza to the floor when she found Bella in Edward's lap, writhing against him as he suckled on her breast.

"Shit shit shit…" she growled. "Bella! Hey!"

Edward and Bella looked over at her and then went back to what they were doing.

"No! Stop!" Alice rushed to Bella's side and pulled her away from Edward, glad to see both of them were still completely dressed from the waist down. "What the hell's going on?"

She looked between them and her eyes grew wide as she caught a wiff of the alcohol on Bella's breath. "Bells, why don't you go on up to bed. I'll be there in a minute."

"No…" Bella moaned, trying to push by her friend to get back to Edward.

"Bella!"

Jumping as her friend yelled at her, she whirled around, nearly losing her balance before stomping up the stairs angrily.

"Edward, what the hell?"

Alice looked at the mess that was scattered on the coffee table seeing the empty bottle of Jack as well as six empty beer cans. "Come on…"

She held her hand out for him and helped him stand up, taking the opportunity to examine the well defined expanse of chest he had exposed as well as the light dusting of hair the dipped into his boxers. Raising an eyebrow she smirked and helped him to his room then went into the kitchen and got him a glass of water and bottle of aspirin.

After getting him to take two of them, she went up to Bella's room and did the same with her before going back downstairs to clean up their mess.

She sat at the kitchen table and rested her head on her arms as she thought about what might've happened if she hadn't come home when she did. As free as she was with her relationships, Bella wasn't. She'd never done much more than kiss and then Edward comes in and sweeps her off of her feet and suddenly she's ready to just give up the one thing she's held onto for twenty-two years.

As much as Alice liked Edward, she wasn't going to let Bella throw that away during a drunken make out session. She rubbed her hands over her face and looked at the clock and decided to check her email before going to bed.

Not surprised that most of what she'd received was junk, she was surprised to find an email from Jasper letting her know that he'd be in town on Friday and wondered if she could pick him up at the airport.

She looked at her calendar, knowing very well she didn't have anything to do. Her last day on her internship would be tomorrow so she'd have Friday free. She emailed him back telling him she could and asked him to let her know the specifics of his flight so he wouldn't have to wait.

Signing off she went upstairs and got in bed, wondering if she was getting in over her head with Jasper. To say she was enjoying their conversations would be an understatement. But in all honesty she was scared to death about him staying with them and what he expected of her.

Of course, she had no one to blame but herself, she was a bit of a tease.

But she was sticking to what she'd told Edward earlier when he'd tried to warn her about his friend. Jasper couldn't break her heart when it belonged to Emmett. At least with him she knew it was safe.

He'd told her many times before that he could never love another woman after Cassie died and in that sense she knew it was protected. But she knew sooner or later he would realize just how much Rosalie loved him and they would be together. And as much as she would love Emmett for herself Rosalie was the one that deserved him.

A smile pulled at her lips. As silly as it seemed, it was a great comfort to her to know that.

* * *

Bella rolled over and groaned, pulling her pillow over her head to block out the sunlight that burned her eyes. Taking a deep breath she rolled away from the window and slowly sat up, letting her body adjust to being upright before attempting to stand up.

She didn't remember how she got bed but the fact that Edward wasn't in it with her had to be a good thing. It meant she didn't do anything stupid.

Once she was able to stand without getting dizzy she shuffled into the bathroom, not paying attention to the person in the shower as she brushed her teeth. It wasn't until Alice walked out of her room, scratching her head and yawning that she realized her friend wasn't the one in the shower.

Edward cut off the water and opened the curtain, not realizing anyone was in there as his eyes caught sight of Bella and her eyes caught sight of his… little Edward.

"Shit!"

Bella blushed and hurried out of the room. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry," she called through the door as Alice leaned against her doorframe laughing at her. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

"You. When I came in last night you guys were about to fuck each others…" She stopped as Edward opened the door, with only a towel wrapped around his waist and slipped past them to go downstairs and get dressed. Alice watched him the entire way and licked her lips before turning back to her friend. "That's a fine ass man right there…"

"Ali!?"

"Oh yeah, anyway… you were straddling his lap, grinding against him and both of you had your shirts off. He had your breast in his mouth."

"Oh shit…"

Alice shrugged and walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth. "You also drank my entire bottle of Jack so you better replace it."

Bella slid down the wall and leaned her head on her knees. "Oh my God, I feel like such a whore."

"You're not a whore Bells and you know it. You wouldn't have freaked out when you saw his dick if you were. I, on the other hand, am."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You're not a whore Ali you're just… eccentric."

"Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"Look, I know you're in love with my brother and have this lame brain idea stuck in your head that you can never love anyone else but Ali, you can't do that to yourself. You need to love someone who loves you the way that you love them. Emmett can't do that. As much as I pray for it and know that Rosalie is the one for him, I can't be sure he'll ever be with another woman because he can't stand that thought that he'll lose them again. And he'll never love anyone like he did Cassie. You deserve to be more than a substitute."

Alice frowned. "I'm just scared."

"Well, don't be. I mean what about this guy you've got coming to the Christmas party?"

"Jasper."

Bella blinked a few times. "Who? What?"

"Jasper."

"Edward's Jasper?"

Alice nodded slowly. "He'll be here Friday."

"Ali, he hates me. He thinks I'm after Edward's money."

"Not any more he doesn't."

"That's beside the point. You don't even know this guy. Anyway where's he going to sleep?"

She chewed on her lip and shrugged. "Well, he can sleep on the pullout, or in my room. Or Edward can sleep in your room and Jasper can sleep where he's at."

Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head. "We'll talk later, I think I need to throw up…"

She hurried to her feet and into the bathroom, leaving Alice standing in the hallway unable to hold in her laughter. "Teach you to drink my liquor."

* * *

Alice stood nervously in the main entrance of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as she waited for Jasper to arrive. Her hands were shaking horribly and her stomach had been in knots since she went to bed the night before. Not to mention her strange behavior was getting her more than her fair share of attention from security.

She watched people coming down the elevator and caught sight of Jasper, being slightly obvious by trying to be invisible. She was afraid he was going to be disappointed when he saw her. Compared to Bella she was definitely nothing to look at, at least she thought so, but she'd had her fair share of boy toys and was bound and determined not to let him know how nervous she was and if he wasn't one of her favorite drivers she wouldn't think twice about it.

When he stepped off of the escalator she followed him to baggage claim and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey."

He smirked and allowed his gaze to travel over her body, making note of the tight jeans and tight sweater, both allowing him to see she had just the right amount of curves. "Hey," he said, gauging her reaction to him before saying the next words. "What? No welcoming kiss?" Alice rolled her eyes at him and started walking away giving him a wonderful view of her firm, round ass. "Nice…"

Once they got to the parking deck, she unlocked the trunk and got inside, starting the car before he got in, due to the fact that it was barely 30 degrees and slightly freezing, no matter how many layers of clothing were put on.

Jasper slid into the passenger side of her Accord and watched her as she backed out of the parking space and pulled out onto the main road.

"You aren't as talkative in person…" he said, trying to at least get her to open up to him a little.

"Well you're a little more cocky in person."

He frowned. "Sorry, I thought that's what you wanted to me to be. Hell, that's all I've done while I've been on the phone with you. What do you want me to do?"

"You haven't been that bad. Just be yourself."

"I am being myself…"

Alice raised an eyebrow at him, watching him for a minute as she waited for the light to change. "We'll see."

Jasper sat in silence, watching her as she maneuvered the interstate of downtown like it was a road course. She weaved in and out of traffic, absolutely refusing to stop or slow down until she got to her exit.

She continued up a long winding hill then pulled into a driveway and pushed a button for the garage door to open.

Alice noticed Bella's car gone so she put hers in park and turned to Jasper, knowing he hadn't taken his eyes off of her since he'd gotten into the car. "You like the view from there?"

"Now who's being cocky?" he smirked.

She turned towards him in the seat and pulled her right leg under her for leverage before she leaned over the arm rest and pressed her lips to his, gently coaxing his tongue out of his mouth. Her hand rested on his cheek as their tongues danced in an age old rhythm then as she felt his arm snake around her waist she pulled away and got out of the car and started towards the house.

"Fuck..." Jasper slowly got out of the car, extremely frustrated with the hard on he'd developed in such a short amount of time, and walked to the trunk which she'd left closed and locked. "Ali!"

She threw her hand back over her shoulder and pressed the trunk release and kept walking, not turning around to face him as she did so.

He sighed and took his bag out of the trunk and followed behind her. "Damnit woman, wait up…"


	15. Chapter 14

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**AN: I've decided to give you guys another chapter to get you all worked up for tomorrow's chapter cause I'm nice like that. Hope you enjoy it and still i ask that you not kill me.**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_

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Chapter Fourteen

Edward growled in frustration as he followed Bella though the throngs of people leisurely strolling around the mall. "Why did I agree to come with you again?" he mumbled as a large woman with three kids on leashes shoved him aside to get in line for Santa.

Casting an amused look over her shoulder before stopping to wait for him, Bella slipped her hand into his and smiled. "Because we've got to get you something to wear to my parent's party. You didn't bring anything dressy and its black tie."

"Oh, hell. Jasper's gonna shit. He hates getting dressed up. Why didn't you tell me that before I said I'd go? And who the hell has formal Christmas parties?"

"I don't give a shit about Jasper. You didn't ask. And my family does. Deal with it."

Edward shook his head and threw his arm around Bella's shoulder. "So do we need to have presents for this party?"

Bella shook her head. "Nah. We do Christmas with my parents on Christmas Eve Eve, then we normally go to a party or something on Christmas Eve and Ali and I normally veg out on Christmas Day. We give each other presents in the morning then watch classic Christmas movies with Bing Crosby and Gene Kelly. And of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without the Griswalds."

"Greeeeeeat," he groaned receiving a light punch in the stomach for his troubles. "So what are you gonna wear? How about that little black lacy thingy from New York."

"My parent's would kick my ass if I wore that around their business associates."

"Oh…"

She grabbed Edward's arm and pulled him into a men's store. She took the bags out of his hands and got a sales associate to help them, picking out what she wanted him to wear then she left to find something for herself while he got fitted.

"Well, well. If it isn't little Miss Perfect…"

Bella rolled her eyes and continued looking through the dresses at Jessica McClintock. She didn't have time for this and definitely didn't want to make the time.

"I'm talking to you."

"I'm ignoring you, geez, take the hint."

Victoria Hitchcock sauntered up to Bella, thrusting her surgically enhanced chest forward as she settled her hands on her waist. "I don't take to being ignored."

"So I see. Did you get your boobs redone? I guess they start to deflate after a few years huh. That sure was nice of your parents to get you implants for your sixteenth birthday."

"What's your childhood trauma?" Victoria spat back.

"You."

Bella took some dresses that she liked then continued around the store, not quite sure what color she was going to wear to the party. Edward was wearing all black so they'd match either way she went but she just wasn't sure.

"I'm really looking forward to Tuesday, the party should be great. I've never been to one before," Victoria cooed.

Bella didn't take the bait. She knew Victoria was trying to get her to blow up and, in all honesty, she didn't care. If Victoria was at the party, James would most likely leave her alone, unless they were up to something. And knowing the two of them, suspicions began to form in her head.

"Yeah, they're great. Look Vicki, I've got to finish up here. I'll see ya Tuesday night," she smiled before walking into the dressing room seeing the silently stunned face of Victoria in the mirror as she went.

As soon as Alice got Jasper settled in the room under the stairs, she ran up to her room and closed the door. She had no clue what she was doing. For all she knew, kissing Jasper in the car earlier had been the biggest mistake of her life but it didn't feel wrong. And that scared her. And what scared her even more was the feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her second guess herself. She'd never thought twice when it came to men. She was by no means a whore but when it came to sex and things of that sort, she had an "if it feels good do it" mentality that was completely absent at this moment in time.

She heard a soft knock at her door and sighed, closing her eyes momentarily. "Come in…"

"Hey…" Jasper said quietly as he entered her room. "Where's Edward at?"

"Oh um… Bella took him to get a tux for the party."

"Tux?" he visibly gulped and unconsciously tugged at the collar of his t-shirt.

Alice laughed and shook her head. "The party's black tie. I take it you didn't pack a tux?"

He shook his head slowly. "Well, I'll take you to get one this weekend."

"Great, I'll be counting the minutes…" he responded dryly as he lay on her bed, leaning on his elbow on his side as he watched her closely.

Alice chewed on her lip as she turned the page of the book she was reading, feeling Jasper's eyes on her as she did so. "I'm gonna develop a complex if you continue to do that."

"Can't help it…" He moved up next to her, leaning back against the pillows. "What ya reading?"

"A book…"

Jasper sighed and looked around the room waiting until she started reading again to yank the book out of her hands. "_The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty_?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her and rolled away from her as she tried to get the book out of his possession. "Give it back Jasper."

He smirked and looked at the page she'd been reading. "Ahem… _He put his sword to one side. He removed his heavy armor. And then he lifted her again, his left arm under her shoulders, his right hand between her legs, his thumb on top of her pubis…" he arced his brow and looked at her, rolling his eyes before continuing. "She made no sound; but if a person could moan silently, then she made such a moan with her whole attitude. Her head fell towards him and he felt the hot moisture against his right hand, and laying her down again, he cupped both of her breasts, and sucked gently on one then the other_."

Alice looked down at her comforter, suddenly finding interest in an invisible string.

"Really?" Jasper chuckled.

"Give me the book Jasper."

He laughed and handed it back to her watching as she put it in the drawer of her nightstand and started towards the door. "Where ya goin?"

"Nowhere," she replied sourly as she opened the door and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm opening the door for you to leave."

"You don't really want me to leave do you?"

"Yes…" she said quietly when he closed the door and pushed her against it as he lowered his mouth to hers. A soft moan hung in her throat as his tongue teased her lips, willing her to open to him but she refused, not quite ready to give into him.

His arms slipped around her waist and he lifted her against him, urging her legs around him as he carried her to the bed to lay her down.

Jasper rose over her brushing her black locks out of her face as he pinned her arms over her head and began his slow sensual assault on her neck.

"Hey Ali!" Bella called as she opened the door. "You've gotta see the…" Her voice caught at the sight in front of her and she raised her left hand to her mouth, softly biting on her finger. "Sorry…"

Trying to quietly exit the room and let them finish she was surprised when Jasper groaned and pushed himself off of Alice and brushed past her to leave the room. Her eyes grew wide and her cheeks reddened causing her friend to laugh.

"You okay?"

"He was _hard_…" Bella giggled, looking back out to see Jasper walking down the stairs. He winked at her before she could no longer see him and closed Alice's door. "Sorry, I interrupted."

Alice shrugged. "It's all right. I didn't want to do anything today anyway."

"Then why was he on top of you?"

"Cause he felt damn good…and I was doing my best to resist him, couldn't you tell?"

Bella laughed and pulled the plastic off of the hanger in her hands to show her friend the dress she'd gotten for the party. "What do you think?"

Alice opened her mouth in surprise. The dress was gorgeous and totally Bella. Black with a studded empire waist, the layered bottom stopped just below her knees in the front and gradually dropped to her ankles in the back. "It's gorgeous. Has Edward seen it?"

Bella smiled and shook her head. "Nope, I hope he'll like it."

"If he doesn't I'm kicking his ass."

"Don't be so hard on him. He wasn't too fond of having to wear a tux as it is. Poor thing's gonna be miserable. He started tugging his collar as soon as they got him in to fit him."

"I got the same response out of Jasper when I told him he'd have to wear one."

Bella flopped down on the bed next to her friend and rolled onto her back. She took Alice's hand in hers and rested their entwined hands on her stomach. "I'm really happy, Ali."

"I know you are sweetie," she smiled. "Just don't get drunk and do something stupid again."

Bella rolled her eyes and rolled onto her side. "Do you think it's possible to be in love with someone you've only known a few weeks?"

"Anything's possible, Bells…"

Jasper loafed down the stairs and hastily sat on the couch next to Edward. "Hey…" he murmured.

"You okay?" Edward chuckled.

"No you're little girlfriend walked in right in the middle of me trying to get it on."

Edward started laughing. "Were you clothed?"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Yes. Did you know this stupid party is black tie? That's a bunch of bullshit man."

"Tell me about it," Edward said, motioning towards a bag that hung on the back of the double doors the led into the foyer. "Pure black."

"How snazzy," Jasper replied dryly.

"Kiss my ass man. What's your problem?"

"I'm horny!"

Alice and Bella giggled from the doorway receiving a glare from Jasper in return.

"How you think I feel? I've been in this house with two hot women for over a week... they don't come much hornier than me," Edward said casually, his gaze meeting Bella's, the blush that brightened her cheeks not going unnoticed.

Alice took Bella's hand in hers and sauntered into the room. "I have an idea…"

"Do share…"

She looked at her friend with a smirk before glancing at Edward and settling a lingering gaze on Jasper. "Let's play a game."

"Truth or dare?" Jasper chimed in, a huge smile on his face.

"Spin the bottle."

"Ali…" Bella protested, not sure she wanted to do this. She could handle kissing Edward, hell she could handle kissing Ali but she didn't want to kiss Jasper. Something about him just made her uncomfortable. _Could be the fact that he _HATES _her_.

"It's alright, Bells… I'll be right back."

Edward held his hand out for her and she walked around the coffee table to sit in his lap as he gently rubbed his hand over her back. "Where'd your bra go?" he whispered, hoping Jasper didn't hear.

"It's constraining…"

He pressed a kiss to her temple and laughed as she groaned when Alice came back with the empty Jack bottle, a full bottle of Jack and four shot glasses.

"I thought you didn't want Edward and I drinking around each other again…"

Alice shrugged. "Liquid courage… sorry."

Jasper and Edward moved the coffee table out of the way and they sat in a circle with the bottle in the middle of them. Jasper then Alice, Edward and Bella.

"We'll spin the bottle to see who goes first," Alice said spinning the bottle, trying the hide the smile that pulled at her lips when it landed on Bella. She knew her friend was going to freak out doing this. She'd never played the game before and she was really uncomfortable being around Jasper but she needed to loosen up because if she didn't, then she was going to make herself crazy.

Bella sighed. "Here goes nothing." She leaned forward and spun the bottle a sigh of relief escaping when it landed on Edward. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips then smiled as he took his turn.

A slight twinge of jealousy tugged at her stomach when Edward leaned over to kiss Alice but it was almost not existent he'd kissed her so quickly.

Alice spun and it landed dead on Bella causing Jasper and Edward to high five each other. The girls leaned forward on their hands and quickly kissed each other then Bella took her turn yet again.

"I'm feeling really left out here," Jasper whined as the bottle slowed, landing squarely on him. He smiled as he leaned over to kiss Bella, letting his lips linger longer than she was comfortable with then he pulled away.

She glanced at Edward and he winked at her, letting her know she was okay. His smirk quickly disappeared though when Jasper's spin landed on him.

"Oh hell no."

Alice looked between them. "Come on now, I had to kiss Bella."

"But that was hot…" Jasper whined.

"Kiss." Bella demanded.

"NO…"

"Uh-uh…"

"Guys, you could've been done by now."

They both groaned and rolled their eyes before closing them tightly and leaning forward. Bella and Alice had to guide their mouths to each other because neither wanted to look. After barely touching they both backed away and each took a shot of JD to cleanse their mouths.

The girls rolled their eyes and Edward spun again, once again landing on Alice.

"Open mouth this time," Jasper rang out, receiving a glare from Bella as she watched Edward lean over to kiss her best friend yet again.

She took the bottle of Jack and poured herself a shot, quickly downing it before taking another. After two more spins, she and Alice had managed to land on each other each time.

"Tongue! Tongue!" Jasper and Edward chanted as the girls rose up on their hands and knees and leaned forward to kiss each other.

They took their time, teasing the guys as the flicked their tongues against each others before taking them fully into their mouths.

Jasper chose that moment to run his hand up the back of Alice's thigh and he let his fingers brush over her center. He could feel how wet she was through the denim of her jeans and he knew for a fact he couldn't sit there much longer.

She moaned and leaned back against him, continuing to kiss Bella until Edward wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her away.

"Save some for me," he whispered as he pulled her into his lap.

Bella smiled and stood up, pulling Edward with her as she went up the stairs to her room. The smile on her face told him exactly what was going to happen.

_*** excerpt from The Claiming of Sleeping by Anne Rice writing as A. N. Roquelaure. I own absolutely no rights to this story or Anne Rice, A.N. Roquelaure or the Erotic Trilogy of Sleeping Beauty.**_


	16. Chapter 15

_**AN: Okay guys.... I've decided to give a little. Assuming a I get a fairly good response to this chapter you may or may not get a chapter later in the day. I make no promises but considering I update daily except weekends you get a lot more than some. **_

**_Now... my daily rant. TEBOW BITES! Grr... no one is that perfect. Don't get me wrong, I love that he does missionary work, witnesses and but there's just got to be some kind of skeleton in that closet. And I'm bitter that he won the Maxwell Award last night and not Mr. McCoy (even though Colt won the Walter Camp Award and just looked adorable in his little suit). Also... it's not okay that freaking Auburn is trying to steal our defensive coordinator. He left Auburn because they're a bunch of buttmunches now he's gonna be there head coach. I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT! He has to stay at Texas because a majority of our defensive players are only gonna be sophomores next year and he needs to stay damnit because I'm not gonna be happy if Blake Gideon has a bad year. I just love him._**

**_Anywhooo.... I'd also like to bitch about cold weather. My knee (which I cracked when I was 12 nearly 20 years ago) is killing me and it's aching down into my shin. Its not fun and I want to cry. Even the smallest amount of weight on my leg sends pain shooting through me. STUPID COLD WEATHER!_**

___**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_

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_Chapter Fifteen_

Jasper and Alice watched Bella pull Edward from the room and he took the opportunity to pull her into his lap so that she straddled him.

"Jasper…"

He shook his head. "Shh…" Brushing his lips over hers a few times, as his hands softly massaged her thighs through her jeans. His hands slipped under the hem of her sweater, causing her giggle as his tender touch tickled her side. He pulled back and looked at her, seeing her bright blue eyes laden with desire was almost more than he could handle.

Alice gave him a soft smile and he took a deep breath as an unfamiliar feeling tugged at his chest. "What do you say we go to the bedroom…I'm not really a fan of messing around on the living room floor."

"Have you done a lot of that?"

"Well, once or twice but I caught Edward and Bella here the other night half naked and it's just a little too weird." She stood up and helped him to his feet, leading him up the stairs to her room.

He watched her ass sway seductively as she took the stairs in front of him and reached between her legs, brushing against her. She'd yelp and jumped away which only made him want to do it more.

When they got to her room, he closed the door and Alice jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist in the process as she buried her hands in his hair and latched her mouth to his.

Jasper walked towards the bed, stopping when his legs met the mattress. He laid her down and rose above her, much like he had earlier in the day but this time there would be no interruptions. He pulled her sweater over her head and smiled as her breasts threatened to spill from her bra.

He lowered his mouth to her throat, biting and teasing his way to the valley of her breasts before releasing them from their hold. Hungrily, he took her into his hand, kneading her sensitive flesh into even riper peaks for him to taste, suckle and mold.

"Oh…" she moaned when his mouth moved to her other breast showering it with the same erotic attention before standing up, leaving her cold and exposed. "Come back…" she pouted as she leaned up on her elbows to watch him take off his shirt and jeans.

Alice's gaze lowered to the rather obvious bulge in his boxer briefs and her tongue darted out of her mouth. Jasper wanted nothing more than to shove his cock into her mouth and let her suck him off right then and there. And from the look on her face, he had no doubt she would do it.

She pushed herself up so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She reached out to him and pulled him towards her, quickly shoving his underwear away to free his cock.

Alice looked up at him through heavy lashes as she leaned forward to flick her tongue over his tip. Her eyes never left his as she took his head in her mouth and gently suckled it. Her teeth grazed lightly over his cock as her gently rolled his balls in her hand.

"Fuck, that feels good," he groaned, digging his hand into her hair, encouraging her to continue on and take him all in.

Letting him drop from her mouth she pushed him back a bit and stood up, quickly removing her body of her remaining clothes before she walked around him and had him lay back on the bed.

Jasper rested his arms behind his head as she crawled towards him on all fours and reached out for him. Stroking his length in long slow strokes as her tongue lapped at his tip.

She turned her body so that her legs were near his head and she slowly took him into her mouth, allowing him in as far as he could go, hitting the back of her throat before pulling away and repeating the same movements as Jasper ran his hand up her thighs and dipped his hand between her legs.

He smirked, finding the inside of her thighs soaking wet.

Alice moaned as she took him deep inside of her mouth, her hand still massaging his balls as he stuck a finger inside of her, only to remove it and insert two.

She moaned as she writhed against his hand.

"Hold on a second baby," he growled, pulling her away from him.

She looked back at him with dazed eyes, licking his taste from her lips as she watched him curiously.

"Come here…" he said. "I want you on my face…"

Jasper reached out, flicking his finger over her nipple as it hardened even more at his request.

Alice did as he asked and carefully positioned herself so that her hot dripping pussy was mere inches from Jasper's mouth.

Her body bucked as his tongue darted out to flick roughly against her clit and she leaned forward, taking him back into her mouth.

Supporting herself with one arm as Jasper wrapped his arms around her thighs and pulled her down to latch his mouth onto her tight bud, she wrapped her other hand around his length and stroked him as she did the same with her mouth. She took him in completely with each pass and moaned against his sensitive tip as he gently bit down on her clit.

"Ugh…" she groaned, increasing her pace on his cock as he increased his pressure and her body exploded, her juices washed over his face just as she felt the first hot spurts of cum hitting the back of her throat. She drank him in greedily as he continued to clean her with his tongue until not a drop was left.

When he was spent she rolled to the side, resting her head on his stomach as he turned a little to do the same to her. They gave each other a lazy smile and Jasper leaned forward to press a tender kiss to her lips. "You're really good at that…"

Alice chuckled. "You're not so bad yourself."

* * *

Bella stood shyly by the door as she watched Edward remove his shirt and jeans leaving him in only a pair of black boxers covered with lug nuts. "Are those supposed to be a conversation piece?" she asked nervously.

Edward chuckled and slowly approached her. "Bells, you don't have to do this, ya know…" he brushed his lips over hers as she leaned into his touch.

"I want to…" she said softly, but the shaking in her voice made him doubt it.

He wrapped his arms around her and led her to the bed. "I tell you what we'll do."

Her eyes widened and suddenly she looked like a little girl. "What?"

"We're not gonna have sex…"

"What?! Why not?"

Edward smiled. "Because you're not ready. And I'm not gonna make you do something you're not ready to do, no matter how brave that liquor made you downstairs."

"But Edward…"

"Bella, don't, I'm not gonna change my mind. Tonight's gonna be all about you."

She frowned in confusion. "But… you're hard…" she said innocently reaching out to cup him in her hand.

Edward hissed and backed away from her. "Don't… just don't touch me like that right now okay because I'm trying to do this for you. I know you've never made love before Bella, and I want the first time to be perfect, not with Jasper and Ali across the hall."

She laughed. "Fine… Actually, can we just see where we go from here? No limits but no necessity to follow through."

Edward took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed facing away from her. This wasn't going to work. "Bella…"

"What?"

Her voice no longer sounded scared. It was strong and firm and when he turned around to look at her she was standing on the other side of the bed in a nearly transparent lace demi-bra and matching boy shorts.

"Oh dear God…" he whispered, his eyes never leaving her as she walked around the bed and stopped in front of him.

"Let's just see what happens."

She pushed him so that he lay back on the bed and she crawled up to straddle him, taking the initiative and shocking the hell out of Edward in the process. Her fingers threaded through his hair as she kissed him and he eagerly gave in, wrapping his arms around her.

He rolled her onto her back and pressed her into the softness of the bed, savoring the feel of her body melded to his, the few scraps of fabric between them causing the most erotic pleasure he'd ever felt in his life as they moved against each other.

Bella moaned into his mouth as she wrapped her legs around his waist and he pressed his hardness against her, letting his tip rub against her clit through the thin fabrics they wore.

"God, you're beautiful, Bella…" he murmured against her neck as he peppered kisses along her body down over her breast bone to her stomach. He dipped his tongue into her navel and continued lower waiting for her to resist as he moved lower.

Edward's hot breath against her center caught her off guard and she stiffened.

"Relax baby… just lay back and relax."

"I've nev…"

Edward moved back up her body and lowered his mouth to hers, gently sucking at her tongue before pulling away. "Just relax baby and trust me."

Bella giggled quietly as he kissed her stomach again and the beginnings of stubble on his chin tickled her.

She shivered as he settled between her legs and curled an arm around her thigh then ever so slightly swept his tongue over her center.

"Oh _fuck_!" she screamed as her body nearly exploded with pleasure at just one touch. She dug her fingers into the comforter as a last resort to hold on.

Edward smiled against her and flicked his tongue out again, applying more pressure and taking his time to taste her sweet innocence. "You taste so good Bells," he groaned as he slid his finger into the crotch of her panties to pull the fabric aside and remove the barriers beneath him and her center.

Bella rose up on her elbows to watch him as his tongue searched her yet again. His eyes locked with her and she could see the smile tugging at his mouth when he thrust his tongue inside of her. She let her head fall back and her eyes drift close as she began to slowly writhe against his mouth as he continued to thrust in and out of her.

He placed his hand on her hips and held her down while his thumb brushed over her swollen bud. "You like that baby…" he said, his voice husky and laden with sex.

"Ye… yes," she panted as her body grew closer to release with each pass of his thumb and thrust of his tongue. He rose up to watch her and shoved two fingers inside of her, crooking them until they pushed against her g-spot and her body began to buckle under his touch.

Replacing his thumb with his mouth, he continued suckling her center and thrusting his fingers in side of her until her body exploded in a flood of passion.

She fell back in release and panted as her body rode wave after wave of pleasure before he moved over her and gently rubbed one of his juice covered fingers across he lip. "Taste amazing…" he whispered capturing her tongue as she darted it out to clean her lips.

Bella looked into his eyes and at that moment he knew he was lost. No woman was ever going to be what she was to him and he'd known her for barely two weeks.

"Are you okay?"

She slowly nodded and let her eyes drift closed, whimpering when Edward got off of the bed, taking his warmth with him.

He went to the bathroom to take care of his own problem and wash his hands then came back to find her, snuggled beneath the comforter, fast asleep.

Edward slid in behind her and she turned towards him, tossing her leg over his as she rested her head on his chest and he placed a soft kiss to her head. "I love you Isabella."


	17. Chapter 16

__

_**AN: Hey people! Sorry you didn't get another update Friday but I'm super busy at work and it's not like you guys didn't get six chapters last week. I wll most likely be posting doubles next week though because I will be away from the lovely internet between Christmas and New Years. In other words, my home computer is hella slow and I use my Blackberry to get online when I'm not at work. Needless to say, it makes updating a bit difficult. But you will be getting two chapters a day Monday through Wednesday of next week.**_

**Now on to more important matters... Colt McCoy didn't win the Heisman but... NEITHER DID TIM TEBOW! haha... I'm very happy for Sam Bradford. Yes I know as a Texas fan I'm anti-Oklahoma but I'm not anti-Bradford. He's a good player and he's adorable little self is starting to grow on me. And on top of all of that, how many Heisman winners have actually gone on to great things? Very few that were quarterbacks so I'll let that go.**

**Anywho... I'm going to go ahead and pimp some book series again... The Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead and The House of Night books by P.C. & Kristin Cast. If you aren't reading these books, you're missing out. They're wonderful!**

**Anywho peeps.... read and review!**

___**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

"I don't believe this shit…" James growled, flipping through the pictures he'd just printed. He passed one to Victoria and scoffed. "I couldn't even get her to kiss me and look at this. She's kissing Edward, she's kissing that other guy…"

"Jasper Whitlock…"

"Whatever… and she's kissing Alice. What the hell? That's not Bella. I don't know who she is."

Victoria flipped the photographs in her hand and stopped when she came to the last one, frowning as she looked it. "Um, did you look at all of these, James?"

"Nah, I just printed what he sent. I saw the first few and I quit looking, it disgusted me."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Then you don't want to see this one. How'd he get a picture of her bedroom anyway, I thought it was on the second floor."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He snatched the photo out of her hand and brought it up to look at it. He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them again. "Dirty whore…"

Victoria frowned and looked at the picture over his shoulder. "She's still got her underwear on. And it's not like you've never done that to me before. Hell your head's been between my legs more than…"

"That's not the point Vicki. She just met the guy a few weeks ago and she's letting him go down on her. It's a bunch of bull shit."

"You didn't tell me how he got the upstairs shots…"

James shrugged. "I dunno."

* * *

Jasper rolled over and snuggled into the warm body next to him, inhaling the soft spicy fragrance of her hair as he pushed it back from her face and watched her sleep.

He gently rubbed his arm down the soft alabaster skin of her arm as he leaned forward and placed a kiss to the side of her neck then threw the covers aside and pulled on his jeans. He quietly left her room and went downstairs to get some clothes out of 'his' room.

"Hey," Bella said quietly when he walked into kitchen, she looked away, finding a sudden interest in her coffee mug when she saw that he wore no shirt and hadn't bothered to button his jeans. "Want some coffee?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. Let me just get some clothes really quick."

She stood up and got a mug out of the cabinet and poured him a cup, only to frown when he came out of the bedroom in the same thing he went in. "I thought you were getting some clothes."

"I did. I'm gonna change after I get out of the shower…"

"Oh," she blushed, still unsure why he made her so uncomfortable as she pulled her robe tighter. "So what are you and Ali doing today?"

Jasper shrugged and took a long drink of his coffee. "Hell if I know, something about a tux for that damn party."

"Edward said you wouldn't be too happy about it," she laughed meeting his eyes as she did so.

He rolled his eyes. "He knows me better than most people, that's for sure. Look, Bella…"

Bella looked at her coffee cup, not sure where this was going but it had that 'we need to talk' sound and they weren't dating so all that could possibly mean is stay the hell away from my friend. "Yes?" she said softly, finally meeting his eyes.

"I just want to apologize."

She shrugged and smiled. "Its okay."

"No, it's not. I jumped to conclusions when I met you but you have to understand I had a reason. The last girl Edward was with took him for a ride. She got all she could out of him and left him. Luckily he didn't fall for her or anything but she gained his trust and as far as he was concerned they were getting closer and then out of nowhere she's gone."

"I wouldn't…"

He held up his hand to silence her. "Just let me finish alright. When I saw you at the banquet all I could think was that you were just another one of those girls that wanted the fame and notoriety that came with dating a driver and it pissed me off. Because for some reason I just knew it wasn't going to end that night. You've got this sweet innocent charm about you and it's kinda hard to resist."

Bella snorted. "You did fine. I could feel the temperature drop when I was sitting next to you at dinner…"

"Come on now, I'm just trying to protect my friend."

"What made you change your mind?"

Jasper gave her an apologetic look before speaking. "I had Edward's publicist check up on you… And damn we tried really hard to find something on you but you're just squeaky clean aren't ya?"

She smiled and shrugged. "Sorry… Can I ask you something though?"

"Yeah."

"If you were so worried about me, why aren't you worried about Ali? She's the one that entered me in the contest to begin with, she drives me absolutely insane with that Indy shit 500 weeks out of the year. She's also from a poor family, with the exception of her aunt. How do you know she's not after you for your money?"

"Cause we're both after each other for the same thing I think. We're feeding a physical need and nothing more. I mean we're friends."

"Well, I tell you what Jasper… Alice claims that her heart can't be broken because she doesn't give it away freely, or mainly because she's in love with my brother and won't give any other man the time of day, anyway... This sex and stuff that goes on between you two… it goes deeper than she lets on and I swear to God if you hurt her I will take you out back and kick your scrawny white ass. She's been used and tossed aside so many times... she can't take it again no matter how tough she pretends to be. Just be up front with her about what's going on."

He raised his hands in surrender and stood up, having finished his cup of coffee.

"Oh Jasper, make sure you've got something decent to wear to church tomorrow…"

"Church? Huh?"

Edward laughed from the foot of the stairs. "Yup, welcome to congregation brother," he slapped him on the back, leaving him in a confused state as he headed up to take a shower.

* * *

Jasper glared at Alice as they pulled into the parking deck at the mall. "I don't see why I have to wear this get up," he growled as he resituated his mullet wig and made sure his handlebar mustache was firmly pasted on.

"Because if you don't we're not gonna get anything done. I see your picture more the President Bush's around here. Trust me, you're gonna get noticed."

"I'm gonna get noticed in this too."

"But no one will think twice about who you are."

She got out of the car and started for the entrance, not waiting as he hurried to catch up with her. "Wait up!"

"Hell no! I'm not gonna be seen with someone dressed like that. I'll stay five feet in front of you. Now keep up."

"Stupid woman…"

* * *

After four hours of shopping Jasper had a tux and some shoes for Tuesday's party. A sigh of relief came over him when he saw Alice walking towards the door but he came to slow stop and veered right before she realized he was gone.

"Jasper, could you hurry up?" she called over her shoulder, only to turn around and find nothing but an empty walkway except for the mime that was imitating her in the Gus Mayer shop window. "Jasper?"

She walked back around the corner and saw him looking through lingerie in Victoria's Secret. He was entirely to conspicuous in his get-up and the oversized overalls and flannel shirt were definitely drawing more than enough attention.

With a sigh, she weaved through racks of pajamas and came to a stop next to him. "What are you doing? We need to get going."

"What size are you?"

"Huh?"

"What size are you?" He looked down at her chest and smirked as he appeared to be thinking. "Judging from last night, I say a 34 C… Wait…" he reached over and cupped her breast through her shirt just as a saleswoman walked over, a very obvious blush coming to her face. " I think you're just pushing a D cup."

"Can I help you?" she asked slowly realizing she didn't need a sale this bad.

"Jasper," Alice hissed, shoving his hand away. "It doesn't matter, let's go." She turned around and walked away from him towards the entrance not bothering to see if he was following her.

Jasper pointed at a bra and a pair of panties. "Yeah I need a 34 C in this and a … small in these."

"Yes, sir…" the associate said, slowly, not sure someone dressed like him was going to be able to afford nearly $300 in lingerie. She rang up the sale and asked for id when he handed over his credit card. The woman frowned as she looked at the identification he'd given then up at his face. "Um… This isn't…"

Jasper looked around him to make sure no one was looking and pulled the wig up off of his head slightly. "Trying to shop in peace. You understand…" he winked as she stared at him with an open mouth.

With a slow nod, she ran his card through and he signed the receipt. "Thank you, Mr. Whitlock."

"You can call me Jasper," he smiled and started to walk away.

"Jasper?"

"Yeah," he smiled over his shoulder.

The young woman pulled the top of her blouse to the side revealing the top of her breasts. "You think I can get an autograph?"

* * *

Edward leaned back against the sofa as Bella leaned against him. They were snuggled in front of the fireplace watching _National Lampoons Christmas Vacation _and they hadn't stopped talking due to the fact that they were both quoting the movie word for word.

When the front door opened and Jasper walked in wearing his mullet man get up they hurriedly paused the movie and rushed to the foyer. "What the hell happened to you?" Edward laughed, holding his stomach as he doubled over.

"Shut the fuck up, unlike you, I'm popular. I have to disguise myself to go out."

Alice crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah until the girl at Victoria's Secret, he was more the ready to whip off the wig and sign her boob."

"You signed a boob?!" Edward sighed dreamily as Bella smacked him on the back of the head. "Ouch!"

Bella looked at the Victoria's Secret bag in Jasper's hand and tried to peak in but he yanked it away. "Hey!"

"It's not for you! Stay away. I'm going to get a shower to get this nasty glue off and I'm taking this with me."

"We can pick a lock if we want ya know," Alice added.

Jasper raised his brows playfully. "I'll make it easy and leave it unlocked for you…"


	18. Chapter 17

___**AN: So do any of you guys know who Christian Kane is? He was Lindsey on Angel currently playing in Leverage on TNT... well he's beautiful and I had a dream last night that I was married to him and it was wonderful and I thought I'd share that with all of you because it was so wonderful. Just don't tell my husband. And if any of you have a World Market nearby.. do your Christmas shopping there. John and I got our entire family covered with giftwrap for $ 130. That's cheap! And they're nice gifts!**_

**Anywho... you guys dont care about that. You want an update, so here ya go... Read and review!**

**Remember...The Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead and The House of Night books by P.C. & Kristin Cast... READ THEM!**

___**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

Bella leaned back to look around Alice to see how Jasper was fairing. Getting him up had taken all three of them but getting him inside of the church had taken an act of God, literally. After nearly ten minutes of persuading him to get out of the car, they'd made it half way across the parking lot when the bottom fell out of a seemingly cloudless sky and the four of them took off at a dead run towards the sanctuary.

She smiled, seeing his eyes drifting closed and his head falling back slightly before jerking awake and shaking his head. His gaze caught hers and he rolled his eyes. They'd managed to find some seats on the very back row in the corner so Jasper wouldn't draw attention from the real reason they were there.

Edward took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze as the preacher asked everyone to stand for a final prayer and let them go. He led her into the lobby and they stood to the side while they waited for everyone to leave. Alice and Jasper had stayed in the sanctuary until it cleared out then the four of them strolled back towards the car.

"So, you feel sanctified?" Edward chuckled, slapping Jasper on the back in good humor, only to receive a glare in return.

Jasper shook his head and continued towards the car. "I'll show you sanctified. Ask me that again."

"Bella! Bella!"

They stopped and turned around to see James running towards them across the lot with a folder in his hands.

"Keep walking…" she hissed and they continued on their way, reaching the car, just as James reached out and grabbed Bella's arm. "Let go…" she yanked her arm away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?"

"We need to talk…"

"No we don't."

"I think we do…" he growled through clenched jaws as he took her hand and pulled her away from her friends. "Are you having fun with your little orgies…"

Bella again pulled from his grasp. "What the hell are you talking about?"

James smirked and opened the folder he held in his hands, pulling out some pictures, slowly flipping through them as Bella's eyes grew wider with each one until the last. She clasped her hand over her mouth to cover the gasp that escaped.

"You're spying on me?! You son of bitch!"

James looked around them, noticing she'd drawn a few stares with her outburst. "Keep it down Bells… All ya gotta do is come back to me and they'll be destroyed. Negatives and all."

"Fuck you, James."

She whirled around and started away from him.

"I mean it Bella. You walk away, I'll ruin you."

"Try it." She got into the passenger side of her car, wiping the angry tears from her eyes before looking over at Edward. "He's got pictures of us… all of us… and there's one of me and you… in my room," she added softly her gaze falling away from his to look out of the window as Edward pulled the Land Rover out onto the main road to head back towards Bella's.

"What'd he want?" Edward asked when he realized no one was going to say anything else.

Bella shrugged. "He wants me to come back to him and he said he'll destroy them but I'm not doing it. So he's just going to have to ruin me."

"But there are pictures of me in there…" Alice said from the backseat, defensively.

"It's just one of us kissing when we were playing spin the bottle. But don't worry Ali. He's not going to get away with it. It won't matter if he ruins me cause he won't have a job once I get done with him and he'll be blackballed from every major architectural firm in the country with a snap of Daddy's fingers."

"And if that doesn't work, he's messing with Cullen Enterprises," Jasper chimed in from the back with a triumphant smile. "And that shit won't stay out of the press. Cockfuck's going down!"

* * *

Victoria popped James on the back of his head as he sat down. "What the hell were you thinking?! Why don't you just go ahead and tell the table you've got four aces!"

"Huh?"

"You weren't supposed to show her the pictures you dumb ass! Now she'll be expecting you to do something stupid and you can go ahead and kiss your job goodbye cause you can bet your ass she's gonna be calling Daddy about this."

"She's not gonna tell her dad I've got pictures of her and Edward doin that…"

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Then you underestimate her. She's ready to nail your ass to the wall right now."

James shook his head and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a beer out of the refrigerator before turning back to look at her. "What do you care anyway? What do you get out of it if she comes back to me?"

A devious smirk pulled at her mouth as she strutted towards him confidently and took his tie in her hands, running her hands up the length before tightening it at his throat. "I get the money."

"What money?"

"The money you'll have when you marry her. I'll be here, scooping it out of your account before she knows what hit her and then when you leave her ass, she'll have nothing left. Not to mention I get all that money you've got stashed away. Trust me, honey. I'm not in it for the sex. It's mediocre if that, I don't blame her for not losing her virginity to you. If you'd been my first I would've sworn off men years ago."

* * *

"Thanks, Daddy," Bella smiled as she hung up the phone and turned to the three expectant faces on the couch. "He said not to worry about it. He'll take care of everything."

Edward raised a skeptical brow. "Does he realize what the pictures are of? Cause if he does, I'm leaving town tonight."

Bella rolled her eyes and sat in his lap. "I told him it was a private moment that no one needs to see and never should've seen except for us. He's not going to kill you for it. I'm old enough to make my own decisions and he knows that."

"So should I wear a cod piece under my tux in case he tries to kick me in the balls or shoot or cut them off?"

Jasper chuckled and poked Edward in the arm. "You're a chicken shit."

"My aunt's really looking forward to meeting you, Jasper," Alice threw in, a grin spreading across her face as his eyes grew wide and he swallowed hard.

"Aunt?"

"Uh huh. Apparently, Bella's parents told her about this mysterious date I have for the party so she's got her feathers all ruffled up that she doesn't know about it and she's more than ready to meet you."

His face paled and he sunk down into the sofa. "I don't do family."

"You don't have a choice with her aunt, Jasper. She makes herself known," Bella added with a wink.

"Fuck… When's this party again?"

"Tuesday night…" Alice said, smiling at him as she leaned forward and ran the tip of her tongue along the edge of his ear. "You up for it?"

* * *

"Where the hell is my son and his sidekick?" Esme Cullen demanded from Ben Cheney as he sat across from her in her office on Monday morning.

Ben let his gaze fall anywhere but on her. He knew he was in trouble and he really didn't want to deal with it. "Um, they're on vacation," he replied quietly.

Esme pursed her lips and glared at the young man. "Ben. You've been in and out of my household for as long as I can remember and I don't want you to take this personally but… TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE OR YOUR ASS IS GONE!?"

"Seattle…" he said quickly.

"Washington?"

He nodded nervously. "Why? I thought they… They didn't have anything they needed to do between New York and Christmas so they're out of town. Was that not right?"

She sighed and rubbed her fingers against her temples. "Yes. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just they're doing more than their share of things from what I can tell."

Ben leaned forward as Esme tossed an envelope at him. He removed the contents and flipped through the photographs it held, cringing as his eyes fell on a picture of Edward and Jasper kissing each other, then a few girls, one of which he recognized to be Bella. There was a picture of Edward with Bella in bed and then one of Jasper and the other girl in bed, both buck ass naked and 69-ing. "Fuck…" he hissed.

"Yeah they seem to be."

"Where'd you get these?"

Esme shrugged. "The envelope was on my desk this morning when I got here as well as a letter demanding money for the photos and their negatives or they'll be posted on the internet and sent to tabloids around the world."

"Shit… Why did I have to take this job? This is a nightmare…"

"Wait until Carlisle gets a hold of you. Your nightmare hasn't even started yet."

"Have you tried calling Jasper or Edward?"

She nodded her head. "No answer. So, my dear. You're going to call and find out exactly what's going on over there and explain this… and for God's sake please find out why they're kissing each other in that picture. I could just see the message boards going nuts for thinking Edward and Jasper have turned into Dan and Helio."

"Dan and Helio aren't gay," Ben frowned.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Tell that to my stylist… his claims his gaydar is accurate."

"Well Dan maybe…" he joked back.

"Ben… get to work."

He nodded and hurried down the hall to his office, flipping through the pictures again, stopping momentarily to admire the ample breasts of the girl with Jasper as he picked up the phone and dialed his friend's number.

"What?"

"Jasper? What the fuck's going on out there man?"

Jasper cleared his throat and whispered something to someone. "What are you talking about?"

"You talking to the chick with the tits or Edward?"

"What?!"

"Just tell me why you and Edward kissed... Dude you've seen me in the showers, please tell me you don't swing both ways."


	19. Chapter 18

**_AN: Alrighty people... I know you don't want to hear this but the chapter's are going to start getting a little bit shorter because of all of the scene changing that will be going on and if I didn't update daily I'd understand if it bothered you but I do so you can't. _**

**_Anyway, I hope you enjoy the updates, I have no rants today just wanna throw out a HOOK 'EM HORNS! and now we can get on with the update._**

**_Remember...The Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead and The House of Night books by P.C. & Kristin Cast... READ THEM!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

_Chapter Eighteen_

"Horseshit!" Jasper yelled, tossing his cell phone across the room as he hung up with Ben.

Alice pulled the sheets tightly around her and watched him with wide eyes, shocked by his outburst and not at all surprised to see Edward and Bella rush into the room in their pajamas, both with major bedhead, or in Edward's case… sex hair.

"What the fuck man…" Edward groaned, rubbing his hand through his hair lazily.

Jasper pulled the sheet around his waist as he sat with his legs hanging off of the bed so Bella couldn't see that he was naked. "Ben's ass just called. Esme got an envelope full of pictures of us… all four of us just like the ones I guess that Bella was shown yesterday. A few of you guys and then a couple of me and Ali."

"What?!" Alice yelped. "Oh my God! I swear this is getting ridiculous… I was not voted most likely to be involved in a sex scandal in high school. What are you gonna do about this?"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Ben said they're tryin to track down where they came from."

"Well, it doesn't sound like something James would do, he's too stupid for that. He wouldn't have shown me the pictures if he planned on doing something that involved." Bella replied flopping down on the end of the bed. She looked at her friends and frowned. "Are you guys naked under there?"

"Um… yeah," Jasper replied quietly.

Bella gave an embarrassed smile and stood up, pulling Edward behind her as she left the room. "We'll see you guys down stairs."

As soon as the door closed, Alice slapped Jasper on the arm.

"Ow! What the hell!"

"This is all your fault…" she groaned as she threw the covers off of her and stomped around the room, getting dressed as she went. "If you weren't Jasper Whitlock no one would give a flying shit who you were sleeping with, now I'm gonna be posted all over the internet kissing you and Edward and Bells. I'm gonna be a whore."

"Um… they've got a picture of us too… naked… 69…"

"Jasper!"

He shrugged. "If it's any consolation, Ben said you had nice tits."

"Ugh!" Alice threw her hands up in surrender then bent over and picked up one of the throw pillows out of the floor and hurled it at Jasper's face. "Grow up!"

* * *

Victoria looked at the man across from her with a smile. "You're sure they won't be able to track this back to us?"

"Not at all. If they nail anyone it'll be James. Dumb shit won't know what hit him." He smirked and looked down at the pictures spread across the table in front of them. "I do nice work if I do say so myself. And that chick's got great boobs."

"Focus, Jacob. We're out to ruin Bella, that's it."

He frowned, running a hand over his smooth, shaven head. "What'd this girl do to you anyway?"

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Nothing. I just don't like her. That sugary sweet shit. Please."

"Yeah but why are we getting bigger people involved in this? This could blow up in our faces big time. Cullen's major shit Victoria. Not to mention the clout her pops has around these parts."

She stood, crossing her arms over her chest as she walked to the window. "Trust me baby, I'm the brains behind this not you."

A smirk tugged at his lips and he flexed his angular jaw as she sauntered towards him, her ample breasts bouncing seductively from the low cups of her bra. She rose over him and straddled his waist allowing him to bury his face the valley.

"We'll be rich when we're done with these fools…"

* * *

"This tux makes me look fat," Jasper said flatly, turning from side to side to look at his reflection in the full length mirror in the corner of Alice's room.

Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head. "How can it make you look fat? You're a waif. There's nothing to you but … bone… maybe something resembling flesh thrown in but you're not fat. Now hurry it up, we've got to leave in like ten minutes and the girls are ready. You're taking longer than they are and they started 4 hours ago."

"Well excuse me! I have an image to protect…"

"Jasper, no one at this party is gonna give a flying fuck about who the hell you are. It's a bunch of people from Bella's dad's company. Architects, don't care. They play golf and drink fine wines. They're gonna look at you and say Jasper who?"

Jasper glared at his friend and straightened his lapels one more time. "You're an ass."

"Learned from the masta. Let's go."

They walked out of Alice's room and Edward lightly knocked on Bella's door as they passed, letting them know they were ready and would be waiting for them downstairs. The girls wanted to make 'an entrance' so the guys played the part as the anxious date and went downstairs to wait on them.

Not five minutes later, Bella cleared her throat as she stepped into the living room and Edward's jaw nearly hit the floor. He allowed his gaze to travel slowly over the messy halo of curls to her heavily made eyes and nearly nude lips. Her lightly tanned skin seemed deeper against the plunging neckline of the black dress and the delicate curve of her calves escaped the heightened front hem of her dress to expose, black strappy heels and delicately painted pink toes.

"You look gorgeous…" he sighed breathlessly, taking her into his arms to get a closer look at her as Jasper waited expectantly for Alice to enter the room, nearly tripping over the coffee table when she did so.

"Shit…" he hissed in pain as his eyes immediately feel to the curve of her breasts, enhanced even more by the halter of her dark blue chiffon dress. A beaded necklace wrapped around her neck a few times and settled in her cleavage and her hair stuck out in little flips around her head. "I swear I'm taking you in that dress tonight, you just wait…"

Alice giggled and wrapped her jacket around her shoulders and grabbed her purse. "Only if you're on your best behavior."

"If I even catch you two doing it at my parent's house, you're so not my friends any more."

* * *

"I don't like that boy…" Bella's grandmother hissed into her ear as they stood to the side watching people dancing around the ballroom that took up a large portion of her parent's first floor.

Bella frowned. "Which boy Nana?" she asked, afraid she as talking about Edward.

"That James creature that's been following you around since birth," she replied, snarling her lips in disgust. "Why on earth would you marry him, Pumpkin?"

"I'm not. I'm with Edward remember," she said softly, pointing to where Edward was dancing with Alice.

Her grandmother smiled. "Ooh. How can I forget? He's a handsome fellow. Is he a good kisser?"

"Nana!"

"What? I may be old but I'm not dead… Who's that other young man? The one dancing with Ali's aunt?"

"That's Jasper, he's Edward's teammate...er friend."

Bella watched the older woman squint her eyes and check Jasper over. "He's packing something in his trousers, Sweet Bella. Stay away from that one."

"Yes ma'm," she replied, matter-of-factly and continued to watch everyone.

"May I have this dance?"

Bella smiled up into her father's face and took his arm, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor.

"Are you having fun?" he asked, smiling as they waltzed past one of his clients.

"Absolutely. How can I not? I've got Nana telling me she hates James and that Jasper has something in his trousers. Trust me, I'm amused."

They danced in silence, just enjoying the atmosphere. "You think James's gonna make a move tonight?"

"Probably," Bella shrugged. "What better way to ruin me than in front of my family and your business associates. Did you see who he's here with?"

Her father nodded his head and a twinkle lit his brown eyes. "Trust me, he's not gonna do a thing. You're brother's had an eye on him all night and it'll stay there. If he pulls out any envelopes or tries to pull some slide show, he's gonna get a surprise."

Bella smiled. "Thanks daddy."

"Just try not to do anything with the blinds open again."

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't really do much of anything. It was all him…"

"Not something I want to hear sweetheart."

"Sorry."


	20. Chapter 19

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**_AN: Okay this chapter is seriously short compared to the last 10 so I'm sorry but I promise it's good! _****_And for the reviewed that asked, yes I have read the Vampire Diaries. Very good series I'm just in VA heaven right now and having dreams of Adrian so I'm kinda one series minded at the moment. I'm sure I'll start on the Vamp Academy one shots soon. Speaking of, I will contintue to pimp _****_The Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead and The House of Night books by P.C. & Kristin Cast... READ THEM!_**

**Now... on with the story.**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

Emmett followed James as he weaved his way through the room towards the projector set up at the far end. "What ya got there?" he asked politely, knowing James wouldn't have a clue he knew anything seeing that he was already well past inebriated.

"Just a little slideshow the company put together to thank your dad for being such a great boss. Thought I'd go ahead and get it out of the way before everyone got too drunk to enjoy it."

He turned towards the dvd player and pushed a few buttons, trying to get it turn on but having little luck.

"Let me get that for ya…" Emmett said, wheeling his way between James and the player. He took the disk out of his hand and set it in his lap then pushed the button to open the player. Picking up the disk he slipped it into the player. "There ya go."

"Thanks, Emmett, I owe ya one…" he said, slapping him on the back as he watched him head back towards the center of the room.

With a smirk on his face James lowered the screen and the room seemed to halt and turn in his direction. "This is just a thank you for all you've done for us Mr. Swan. As a token of our appreciation," he called out gathering everyone's attention as he did so.

James shut off the lights and pressed play then swaggered towards Victoria with a cocky grin.

"Here…" Emmett said, tugging on his father's sleeve as James shut off the lights and made his announcement. He handed him a disk and a smile pulled at his mouth. "Enjoy the show."

_"Oh James… That's right. Right there… Almost…"_

A hush fell across the room as the screen filled with images of James and Victoria writhing around in his office. She was sprawled languidly across his desk and he had his eyes closed and his head back as he thrust into her.

_"Damnit James! God gave you a penis. Learn how to use it…"_ Victoria hissed on screen, causing a chuckle to rumble through the crowed.

"What the fuck!"

All eyes turned towards the couple in the middle of the room as Victoria's hand came into hard contact with his cheek and she stormed out of the room, with her on his heels.

"Well, that went well…" Emmett said, loud enough for the entire room to hear as the lights came back on and the party resumed.

Charlie cleared his throat, giving a quick apology for the vulgarity on the screen and making some comment about blackmail before finding his daughter in the crowd and giving her a quick wink.

"Oh that kicked ass!" Jasper laughed, high fiving Bella. "Your dad's awesome. That was great." He quickly quieted a moment later when he felt a hand on his ass and turned to find Alice's aunt with a quirky grin on her face.

"How bout one last dance, handsome?"

He swallowed hard and she pulled him onto the dance floor before he could answer.

"He's screwed," Ali said, trying to reign in a yawn but failing miserably. "And I'm ready for bed."

Bella smiled. "Jasper keep you up all night?"

"Kiss my ass Bells," she bit back.

"I'll go get him if you're ready to leave," Edward added, not ready to admit, he too had had enough. He'd had a bit too much to drink as had Jasper and Alice. Bella was the only one in the group that had stayed away from alcohol for the night declaring herself the designated driver for the evening.

Within the hour, they were winding down the long dark streets of upscale Seattle.

"You'd think with all the money the people in this part of the city have, they could afford street lights," Jasper said dryly from the backseat where Alice was laying with her head in his lap, passed out cold.

Bella shook her head. "They've never had them on the residential streets except for intersections on main roads. Doesn't make sense to me either and I've lived here since I was born."

Edward watched her from the passenger with a dreamy look on his face. "You're gorgeous."

"Thank you," she replied calmly, giving his mumblings over to the alcohol in his system.

"SHIT! PULL OVER! PULL OVER!" Jasper started yelling suddenly, startling Bella as she swerved into an empty church parking lot.

"What??"

Jasper hurriedly opened the door and pulled Alice out with him, leading her to a group of bushes nearby where she repeatedly emptied the contents of her stomach.

"Ugh…" Bella groaned, sickened by the sight and sound of her friend throwing up. "Oh God, I can't handle this. Did she throw up in the backseat?"

Edward turned on the light and looked in the back and shook his head. "Not that I can see… Maybe she told Jasper before it really hit her."

She nodded and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

"I love you," Edward said softly, not realizing the words had actually escaped his mouth until Bella opened her eyes and looked at him.

"What?"

She heard him gulp and laughed.

"Um… I said… Um, I love you?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

He smiled and leaned forward, gently brushing his lips against hers. "It's a statement."

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck, slipping her fingers into his hair as she pulled his mouth down to hers. "I love you too…"

* * *

Alice moaned and rested her head on her arms. "I'm never touching alcohol again…"

"You would've been fine if you hadn't of lain down," Jasper assured her, placing a cold rag against her forehead. "You'll be fine. You shouldn't have much left to throw up."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Sorry I ruined your night."

"You didn't ruin anything Ali. I had a great time tonight. Even holding you up while you puked in the bushes."

"Saddist."

Jasper chuckled and shook his head. "I meant I enjoyed spending time with you."

Alice yawned. "You're falling for me Jasper Whitlock…"

"What makes you think that?"

"You're sitting in the bathroom with me, holding a cold, wet rag to my head and rubbing my back while I pray to the porcelain gods at 3 in the morning…"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I'm just helping out a friend… who I happen to be attracted to."

"You love me…" she said teasingly and dozed off to sleep leaving Jasper pondering what she said.


	21. Chapter 20

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**_AN: Look at me being nice... I've decided since this morning's chapter was so short I'd give you another. This is where is starts to get a little fun. At least I think so, but then again, I'm an absolute dork. _**

**Hope you guys enjoy my generosity! :D**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Twenty

At precisely eight o'clock the next morning, Jasper's cell phone rang.

He opened the phone and brought it to his ear, hearing Esme ranting about something before he even managed to get a word in.

"Hey! Slow down. Start over and lower the volume."

"Are you hungover? It's a Wednesday morning Jasper."

He rolled his eyes and carefully sat up in the bed, doing his best not wake up Alice. He pulled on his jeans and walked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him as he did so. "I'm not hungover. I was just up with Ali half of the night while she was sick."

"Ali? Who's Ali? Is that the one you're naked with in these pictures?"

"Nevermind. Why are you calling me?"

She sighed. "Carlisle got a call this morning from the investigator we hired to trace these pictures. Whoever mailed them isn't very smart. We managed to get a surveillance video from the post office it was mailed from. We've got a clear shot of his face as well as the woman with him. They weren't trying to be inconspicous. Spent a good ten minutes arguing with the clerk on postage charges and how to get the package here the fastest."

Jasper frowned. "Woman huh? Is she a red head? Busty? Walks like she's ridden a horse for a good twenty-four hours straight?"

"Um. Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Cause she's fucking Bella's ex. They tried to pull some shit at the Christmas party last night but her dad knew what was up and her brother caught up with them before the pictures got out. What about the guy? He look like a rich jock?"

"No."

"What?!"

Esme scoffed. "No. This guy's greasy looking. Straight out of the Bronx from what it looks like."

"No shit… Um. I think I'm gonna do some investigative work."

"Jasper. We hire people for that."

He shrugged although she couldn't see. "I don't care. It'll give Edward and me something to do while the girls are at work."

"Whatever. You've got a lot of explaining to do when you get back. You are coming back aren't you?"

"Probably. Whether or not I'm alone is another story."

* * *

Edward looked at his watch and leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes. "Dude, it's too early and too cold to be doing this. What exactly is the 'this' we're doing anyway?"

"I told you I'll tell you when we get something."

"Get what?" Edward whined with a frustrated groan as Jasper reached into the backseat and pulled out a large bag. "What's that?"

Jasper didn't answer just unzipped the bag and pulled out a camera with a telephoto lens.

"Where the hell did you get that?"

"Called in a favor. Look, Esme called me this morning. They traced the photos back to the post office they were dropped off and there was security video of Victoria and a guy. It wasn't James. Esme said he looked like a Bronx reject."

"So she's fucking James over for something too?"

"Yup, my guess is money."

Edward nodded. "So why are we here?" He glanced around the large parking area of the building that Bella's dad owned, containing his firm.

"Nothing better to do. Plus we're gonna follow Victoria when she leaves and see if she leads us to the mystery man."

Edward watched Jasper as he held up the camera and messed with the focus. "When did you become all Matlock?"

Jasper put down the camera and frowned. "Since some jackass decided to blackmail you and your girlfriend and dragged me into it. I'd really like to keep this shit out of court if possible."

"But Esme hired an investigator for this."

"Damnit Edward! I'm bored. I can't get out of the house and do anything because my picture is freaking everywhere. Not to mention everywhere I look either my number or a sponsor sticker on a car. I can't hide."

Edward just chuckled and shook his head, looking up just in time to see Victoria walk out with a box full of things and storm towards her car. "Now that doesn't look good."

Jasper shoved the bag and camera at Edward. "Take pictures."

"Of what?"

"Anything that looks suspicious while I'm driving…"

"Good God, this is gonna be a disaster…"

* * *

Bella walked into the house later that afternoon to find Alice lying on the sofa in the dark with a washrag over her face and the sound of complete silence. "Ali? You okay?"

A slight groan came from beneath the fabric and Bella giggled.

"How'd you get so drunk? I didn't see you drink that much last night."

Alice lifted the rag slightly to speak. "It wasn't how much. It was what."

"Do you need anything? I'm gonna go upstairs and talk to Edward."

"No I'm fine but they aren't here."

Bella frowned. "What? Did they leave?"

With a sigh, Alice pushed herself into a sitting position. "No. Esme, Edward's mom, called this morning said they traced the photos back to Victoria and some guy that wasn't James so they're playing detective."

"That can't be good. Dad kicked James and Victoria to the curb this morning. I'd love to hear how that played out."

"Good… serves the fuckers right."

"Ali you're spending too much time with Jasper. Your vocabulary has gotten worse and I didn't think that was possible."

"I'm falling in love with him Bells and I've only known him a few days," she said quietly, staring at the floor.

Bella smiled. "I know you are. And to be honest with you, I think it might be mutual."

"He held me and rubbed my back while I puked all night."

"Well there ya go. True love. Whatever will you do…" she laughed in response, knowing it was aggravating Ali.

"You're an evil conniving bitch monster and I hate you."

"Ditto darling…"

* * *

Edward glared at Jasper. "You stupid jackass. Why'd you make me get up here? There's no way in hell I'm gonna be able to get down without drawing attention to us."

Jasper shrugged. "I didn't know you'd get stuck."

"It's a fence Jasper. I've got layers of clothing on cause it's colder than a witch's tit out here. I'm gonna get stuck."

"Well, what'd you do with the camera?"

"I handed it too you five minutes ago and you put it up. Now get your finger out of your ass and help me down," he hissed, doing his best not to let his temper get the best of him. If they made the slightest noise, someone would be out there in an instant.

"Okay… Where are you hung exactly? Maybe I can reach up there and unhook you."

Edward rolled his eyes. This was getting them nowhere. "Jasper, walk over here and let me put my foot in your hands so I can get some leverage to stand up and get off of the fence, maybe then I can get down."

Jasper braced his weight and allowed Edward to stand in the palm of his cupped hands to lift himself. A moment later, they both tumbled to the ground, landing in tangled heap. "Get off of me…" he hissed as Edward pushed himself up laughing at the precarious position.

"How that hell do you get me into this crap Jasper? It's like Harry and Lloyd trying to find Mary Swanson. Only one of us is smart enough to know how IDIOTIC this is."

Jasper watched his friend with irritation. "Are you done? Hand me the camera."

"You've got the camera…"

"OH yeah." Jasper tiptoed around the side of the house and peered through the window seeing Victoria sitting on her couch in a very heated argument with a man. His back was to them and they couldn't make out much more than a greasy head of black hair. "Well, that's our man."

"So take a picture and let's go. I wanna see Bella before she goes to bed."

"Pussy whipped."

"You're the whipped one."

Jasper didn't respond and took a picture just as the man stood up and faced his direction. "Got it. Let's get out of here."

They quietly made their way around the house to leave the yard. "Why don't we walk through the gate this time," Edward whispered, placing a finger to his lips to let Jasper know to do it quietly.

The gate squeaked a little as he pushed it open but then easily opened. They hurried in the shadows and jumped into Edward's rental and closed the doors, ducking down in the seats as Victoria's porch light came on and both she and the man inside walked outside.

Jasper peaked over the steering wheel, watching as the two got into the car and focused his camera on the license plate. Sure enough it was a New York tag.

The moment they turned onto the next street, Jasper started the car. "We got 'em."

"You might want to consider detective work Jasper. You seem to have a knack for it. Unlike racing. Of course I'd suggest not climbing fences."


	22. Chapter 21

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**_AN: Well this is another semi-short chapter but like I said, I hate changing scenes as much as I do in the next few chapters so I just decided to go with new chapters after a few scene changes. All of the back and forth makes me dizzy. Thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews. I just couldn't stop myself from having Jasper and Edward to some recon, just seemed like something that would be humorous and well, it was. _**

**Now on with the story. **

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

Bella was sitting in the floor in front of the sofa with Alice braiding her hair when the guys finally stumbled in around nine that evening, neither looking worse for wear. They weren't sure whether or not to be surprised or concerned.

"Looks like Lucy and Ethel are done with their shenanigans for the day," Alice quipped earning a flirtatious glare from Jasper in the process.

Bella met Edward halfway as he leaned down to kiss her then looked between the two of them. "So what kind of trouble did you get into and should we expect the police to be banging on the door anytime soon?"

"Well… From what we can tell, Victoria was just playin' an all around game of you give me yours and I'll take it. She's got some greasy guy stayin' with her or at least he's with her. Once I get the pictures developed we'll have Carlisle get the investigator to run the tag. Unless Sherlock Holmes over there wrote it down," he bit at Edward.

"Problem?" Alice asked, slightly amused.

"Um, yeah, Jasper's a dumbass. Got me stuck straddling a fucking fence with wire poking me in the gooch, it was great."

Bella burst out laughing and Edward narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't mess with me. I will make you pay."

"As long as we make sure the blinds are closed this time…"

Edward smiled and grabbed her hand pulling her behind him as he hurried for the stairs. "Just be gentle, I'm tender right now."

Jasper watched in amusement as they left the room and turned to look at Alice. She shifted nervously under his gaze and looked down at the coffee table, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth to chew on it nervously. "You okay?"

She looked at him quickly then away again and nodded her head. "I'm fine, why?"

"You're just being… evasive."

That word got her attention. "Evasive? Did you discover a dictionary today?"

"Kiss my ass, Ali."

"Rather not," she laughed as he sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him.

He smirk pulled at his lips. "So what would you rather kiss?"

"I didn't say I'd rather kiss anything."

"Well, I would…" He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers then gently pulled her bottom lip into his mouth, suckling it. "Come here…"

Jasper slid his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap so that she straddled him.

"Jasper… I," she sighed and a frown wrinkled her brow.

"What is it baby?"

"This… I didn't want this."

He let go of her and leaned back. "This what? I thought I came out here for exactly this…"

She nodded and pushed herself up. "You did. The physical part of it but Jasper it's not just physical with me anymore. I know you've only been here a few days but I'm starting to feel something for you and I don't want to because you're just gonna get up and leave in a matter of days and I'll be left here trying to patch up the hole you left when you take my heart with you."

"I thought your heart wasn't available…"

"It wasn't when you got here…" She gave him a weak smile and looked at her hands.

A smile pulled at his lips as he stood up and walked around the table to pull her into his arms. "I'd be lying if I said you weren't having the same effect on me."

"Don't. It won't help. It can't."

"Alice," he framed her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "I'll do whatever the hell I want to do and if I fall in love with you, so be it. Just deal with it and go with it. I'm not gonna leave here and forget about you."

"How can you promise me that Jasper? You're life is so different than mine."

"Just trust me on this alright."

She closed her eyes and sighed but nodded her acceptance. "Yeah."

* * *

"Carlilse, I've got the tag number for the greaseball. It's a New York state tag. J-K-W-L-F. Personalized tag."

"Alright. I'll get this to the inspector as well as the picture you emailed me this morning, see what we can find out."

"Thanks…"

Jasper hung up the phone and buried his hands in his hair. He felt like a jackass. After his talk with Alice the night before they'd gone to bed and all he could do was lay there and think about what he'd done. He hadn't lied to her but he'd told her how he felt and that scared the hell out of him.

The last thing he'd expected when he'd arrived was to fall for anyone. It was all supposed to be a fun time, lots of sex, then jump on the plane and head home but that's not what was happening at all.

As a matter of fact, it was the exact opposite. He and Edward had a little over a week left before they had to go back to Indy and it wasn't long enough for him. He didn't care if he ever went back.

"Hey man, did you call Carlisle yet?" Edward grumbled as he stumbled into the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of Sunny D out of the fridge and sat across from Jasper, receiving a smirk in response. "What?"

"You've got hickies all over your neck… Bella's got hella good suction huh?"

"Jack off…"

"I might have to. I don't think I'll be getting anything else from Ali while I'm here."

Edward shook his head. "What'd you go and do now? If you hurt her, Bella's gonna kill you and I'm gonna have to break up with her for killing my best friend."

"So she's for real your girlfriend now?" Jasper shrugged. "Nothing major, I guess. Just told her I might have feelings where she's concerned. Then I inserted my foot and turned away."

"What'd she say?"

"Well, technically, she started it."

Edward laughed. "That sounded grown up."

"She did. We were makin out and she stopped me…"

"So the mighty has fallen huh?"

"I said _might_ have feelings… Not did."

Edward watched him stand up and walk out of the front door, chuckling softly to himself as he rested his head on his arms.

"Do you always sit around laughing for no reason, because I don't date guys with mental issues."

He rolled his eyes at her and reached out for her hand, pulling her onto his lap in the process. "Morning smart ass," he murmured against her lips as he brushed his against her.

Bella smiled. "Morning…" she pouted as she looked at the line of hickies that marked his neck. "You look like you got strangled."

"I got attacked by the hickey monster last night. Maybe you should stay with me tonight to fend her off…"

"Nope. I'm thinking of joining her on the hunt." She leaned down and latched her lips on to an unmarked area of his neck. "Seems I missed a spot. What are you doing today?"

He shrugged. "Why? You got something in mind?"

She smiled and her tongue peeked through her teeth momentarily before she stood up and pulled him to his feet. "Go get a shower and be ready to go in half an hour."

"What am I getting ready for?"

"Just go get ready." Quickly pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose she jumped up and ran up the stairs to her room.


	23. Chapter 22

_****__AN: I'm being nice again. Remember you'll be getting updates twice a day next Monday through Wednesday. Please don't shoot me after this chapter... I love you guys!_

**Now on with the story. **

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

_Chapter Twenty-Two_

Edward's mouth fell open as he and Bella stepped off of an old freight elevator into a large artist's loft. "Wow…"

She smiled and took his hand leading him over to one of the windows. "You can see the whole city from here," she said proudly. "Although it kinda looks like a wasteland with the fog and dreariness right now but it's beautiful at night."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sure it is. You'll just have to get me up here at night to see it."

"That can be arranged," she looked up at him with a deviant smile, biting at her bottom lip as she did so.

She pulled away from him and walked towards the far end of the room, casting an innocent glance over her shoulder. "Come on…"

"Why? What are we doing?"

Bella shook her head and crooked her finger at him. "Not telling. Come on."

With a heavy sigh he followed her behind a partition that split the room in half and another partition that split that room as well.

He looked around curiously before looking back at her in confusion. "What is this?"

"It's my studio… What does it look like?"

Edward frowned in confusion then noticed a few easels, each covered with cloths obviously keeping some masterpiece secret, and a few backdrops and stands as well. "Oh," he shrugged. "Sorry, I was distracted by the hot brunette that walked in here before me."

Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head. "That was lame, Edward."

"Yea, I know. So what're we doin here?"

"I'm gonna make your Christmas present."

"My Christmas present?"

She laughed nervously. "Yeah, Christmas is Saturday ya know."

"Yeah, I know I was just…" he shrugged. "You don't have to get me anything."

"I want to," she shrugged. "Now. What to do…"

Turning her back to him she walked around the second partition in the room, motioning for Edward to stay put as she disappeared from sight only to come back a few moments later with a tripod which she set up about ten feet in front of him only to disappear again and return with a camera.

"Um… Camera?"

Bella just smiled and grabbed his hand then pulled him behind the partition to join her. "Just take your shirt off."

"Bella, I'm not…"

"Don't argue with me."

"I don't want pictures of myself with no shirt on."

She stepped forward, cupping his face in her hands. "They won't just be of you…" she said softly, pressing a kiss to his lips before walking away as he took off his shirt and followed behind her.

Edward self consciously crossed his arms over his chest. "Now what?"

"Um… Here…" she stepped towards him and unbuttoned the top button on his jeans, allowing them to slide low on his hips, exposing the waistband of his boxer-briefs. "That should work. Now stand right here." She pointed to a mark on the floor and placed him in the spot before turning towards her camera and setting the focus.

"Bells. I don't…"

"Shh… be right back," she quickly added as she set some buttons on her camera and walked behind the partition, emerging moments later in an old pair of worn men's jeans, resting low on her hips with the waistband of her boyshorts showing just barely above the denim and nothing else but her arm resting casually across her breasts.

Edward's mouth fell open as she smirked at him and walked towards the camera and grabbed a small remote. "Damn that's hot..." he chuckled as he reached out to brush back her hair to expose one perfect breast. "That's definitely hot."

Bella closed her eyes and leaned into his touch as he gently cupped her fullness in his hand before dipping his head to flick his tongue over her taut nipple.

"Nope…as much as I want you to continue you've gotta stop that," she pleaded weakly, pushing against him as she fought the shiver that rushed over her without his warmth. "Just hold me first… we'll see where it goes from there."

With a smirk, he slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck, slightly surprised when a flash went off. "Um…"

"Edward. One more complaint and you absolutely are not getting any kind of release for the rest of your trip."

He opened his mouth repeatedly before deciding what he wanted to say. "But… you were so pissed about our pictures being taken, why are you doin this?"

"Cause what I'm doing is tasteful and _I'm_ the one that's doin it. Not anyone else. This is a private moment that I want to capture for us. It won't be seen by anyone else."

Edward nodded slowly as he once again lowered is head to her neck. He gently pushed her hair back over her shoulder and bit softly at the sensitive skin of her throat as he rubbed his hands up her back to capture the back of her head in his hands.

With a growl of pleasure, he captured her lips brushing his across her lightly at first before devouring them and thrusting his tongue through the barrier into the moist heat of her mouth.

Both of them quickly forgot about the flashing of the camera every two minutes as they continued to explore each other's bodies as if it would be the last time.

Bella trailed her hands down Edward's chest with a feather light touch before letting her fingers slide into the space between his jeans and his underwear to gently cup his hardness in her hand.

"Oh God, Bells," he groaned against her mouth, his body losing grip as her hand caressed him so carefully. "You gotta stop that baby. I'm not gonna hold out that long if you keep it up."

She giggled softly as he reached between them to remove her hand only to have him shove it aside and roughly rip away the last few buttons holding his jeans up. "Damn you're sexy," she smirked.

Casually tossing her hair over her shoulders she stepped as close to him as she could and pressed her chest to his, savoring the feel of the soft light tufts of hair that swirled over her chest and stomach as it teased her sensitive skin.

"I want you Edward…" she whispered breathlessly against his cheek, gazing up at him with glazed eyes as he looked down at her in question.


	24. Chapter 23

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_****__AN: Alright people you can stop wanting to kill me now. Hope you guys enjoy this and aren't disappointed. I'm having one of those days. I'm just going to say trying to get pregnant sucks! And I don't care how many times people tell you not to try so hard and not to think about it.... you think about it!_

**Anyway... enjoy. You'll get another update this afternoon.**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three

"What?"

"I want you. Inside of me… Please…"

Her soft pleas nearly drove him crazy. Up until that point they'd pretty much stuck to heavy petting and oral pleasures. She had been very cautious about things going any further.

He watched her intently before speaking. "Are you sure?"

Tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth she gave him a shy nod followed by an excited burst of laughter when he hurriedly picked her up, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist as he carried her towards one of the dividing walls.

She threaded her fingers through his hair as his mouth assaulted her neck and shoulder before he gently set her down and fell to his knees in front of her.

Edward looked up at her, his eyes intent with desire as he unfastened her jeans and let them pool around her feet then he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her boyshorts and tugged them down, exposing her bare center.

"You like?" she asked coyly as he leaned forward to press soft kisses to her stomach then slowly drifted lower as he lifted her leg and hooked it over his shoulder.

He smiled against the soft skin on the inside of her thigh and swept his tongue lightly over the swollen nub between her legs. "I definitely like...I can see all of you," he said quietly.

* * *

Jasper tugged his hat lower on his head and pulled his hoodie tighter over his hat, trying his best to be incognito as he walked through the mall, fighting the crowds to get that last minute Christmas present.

He felt foolish. After spilling his guts to Edward this morning he had to get out of the house for a while and on top of everything he was avoiding Alice. Not in the never want to see her again sense but in the need to figure out what I really want sense. And in doing so, he decided to go out and get her something for Christmas.

He was pretty sure she hadn't gotten him anything, nor would she but the fact remained, he'd feel like an absolute schmuck if he didn't get her a little something.

Stopping in front of The Music Box Company he looked over a few items in the window before leisurely making his way inside.

If there was one thing he knew about Alice it was that she loved little things like this. Every single shelf in her room was covered with some little knick knack or snow globe, something that he could easily break.

Jasper crossed an arm over his stomach and raised his other hand to his mouth, biting at his fingernails as he slowly perused the store.

"Can I help you with something sir?" a voice called from behind him but he just shook his head and waved her off, not bothering to turn around as his gaze fell onto a music box that was perfect.

* * *

Bella's body shuddered as he brushed her most sensitive spot and arched towards his touch. She'd begged him over and over to stand up and sheath his need inside of her but he refused, continuing his torture until she'd lost herself again.

Edward rose, taking her face in his hands and pressed his mouth against hers, forcing his tongue inside and releasing a moan of pleasure as she began to suckle it in her mouth.

Her hands slid between their bodies and pushed Edward's jeans down, followed quickly by his boxers. Before either could protest, Bella wrapped her legs around his waist and slowly sank down onto his cock.

A soft moan escaped him as her heat enveloped him in an excruciatingly slow manner.

Her body stiffened and he pulled out of her, before carrying her into the larger portion of the loft to lay her on the chaise near the center of the room.

"Are you sure?" he whispered again, knowing once this started there would be no way for him to stop until he'd ravaged her completely. It had taken more than every ounce of self control to get him this far.

Bella arched against him and reached between their bodies once again, positioning him at her entrance. "Don't ask me that again, Edward. I want your fucking cock inside of me right now… Quit stalling."

His jaw clenched in frustration as he slid into her wetness, pushing past her barrier with ease as she thrust against him, not stopping to register the pain that shot through her, for it was quickly overshadowed by the warm throes of ecstasy that coursed through her as he filled her so completely.

Edward pushed himself up so that he could watch her body as he thrust into her. He watched the gentle pout of her lips as she cooed beneath him, watched her breasts thrust higher as she arched into his body. He'd never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

She slowly wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer, burying him even deeper inside of her heat as her body tightened around him, her release nearer with each thrust. Her arms draped around his neck and pulled his body against hers.

"Edward… I'm so close… Please baby…"

He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "What baby? Please what?"

"Fuck me…" she purred against his cheek. "Just fuck me…"

His eyes nearly rolled back in his head as the words fell from her lips. Those had been the most arousing words that had ever been spoken to him in his life and he wasn't about to let her down. He knew she was near the breaking point if she wanted to be fucked then he'd be happy to do it.

Edward rose onto his knees, keeping her legs wrapped tightly around his waist as he hands settled on her hips, holding her steady as he lifted her slightly off of the chaise and began to pound into her as hard as he could.

Her breasts were bouncing wildly and her head was arched back in pleasure as her tongue darted between her lips. "Holy fuck that feels good. Touch me Edward. Make me cum."

"You're gonna make me cum if you keep talking like that."

"Good…" she stared up at him with glazed eyes. "I want you to cum all over me, Edward."

His head fell back as his body began to slow but his thrusts were harder and more pronounced than before. "Son of a bitch you drive me crazy, Bella…"

With his final thrust he gently rolled her clit between her fingers and her body exploded with pleasure. She bucked off of the soft fabric beneath her and clawed frantically at the arms of the chaise as she rode the waves to a gentle swell before collapsing and watching in dazed wonder as Edward pulled out of her and showered the soft skin of her stomach with his hot, sticky cum.

* * *

"Jasper?"

He pulled the hat lower on his head as he turned down the next aisle of the book store, hoping to avoid whoever had spotted him.

"Jasper Whitlock Hale, you better stop trying to hide from me."

He looked up at the use of his full name and his mouth fell open in shock. "Maria? What the hell are you doin here?"

She sauntered up to him, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so. "I could be asking you the same thing."


	25. Chapter 24

___****__AN: Sorry guys this chapter is extra special short! Not on purpose it just ended up that way but this is your second chapter of the day so you can't really complain now can you? Don't forget you'll get two updates tomorrow and most like Wednesday as well, mainly it depends on how long I have to work that day. If we leave early then you'll only get one chapter. _

_**I plan on tryin to get some work done on the sequel to Somebody over the holidays so I can start posting it as soon as I'm done with this story but remember it may not be immediate. I like to try to finish stories before I post them so you guys don't have to wait forever and a day for an update (unlike my two Supernatural stories that haven't been updated in forever..eep!). If I don't get it completed soon you guys will probably be getting a different story. So either way, you'll be getting something from me. By the way, I originally posted that the sequel to Somebodywould be called Leave Out All The Rest but I've changed my mind. It will be called White Flag and if you've heard the song by Dido you'll understand why. It just makes a lot more sense to me.**_

**_Now on with you're afternoon update. ENJOY!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

_

* * *

_

_Chapter Twenty-Four_

"Seriously Maria, what the hell are you doing here?" Jasper scowled, his eyes narrowing accusingly.

With a shrug, she strolled towards him, a smug smile pulling at her ruby painted lips as she tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder. "Just visiting family."

"Since when do you have family here?"

"A cousin you've never met, nothing to worry yourself with. Why are you here? I don't recall you having any interest in the Pacific Northwest."

Jasper rolled his eyes and turned away from her, "None of your business."

He strode towards the back of the store not bothering to see if she followed him. If worse came to worse he'd call security but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. He didn't need to draw any attention to being there.

"Maria!" he heard a voice echo and hurriedly slipped behind a tall shelving unit to peak around the corner and find the source.

Watching as Maria rushed out into the main part of the mall, he bit his tongue to keep from yelling out in shock as she wrapped her arms around a very familiar redhead. "Well isn't this just peachy."

* * *

"Mother Fucker!" Jasper slammed the front door, startling the three people in the living room.

"What crawled up your ass?" Edward chuckled, pulling Bella closer as she snuggled against him.

Jasper shook his head, a short disgusted laugh escaping as he did so. "You're not gonna believe this shit. I was at the big mall… um… hell whatever its called, at the book store…"

"You can read?" Alice broke in causing the people next to her to laugh but Jasper's reaction was nowhere close, as he only scowled at her. "Sorry."

"Anyway. Maria was there. She cornered me, chatted about some absolutely useless shit, said she was here visiting a cousin. Well when she leaves the store, you'll never guess who was meeting her."

Three questioning gazes watched him, waiting for response. "Well?"

"Victoria."

"What?!" Bella sat straight up. "Wait… who's Maria?"

"Jasper's ex gold-digger," Edward mumbled as Bella buried her face in her hands. "Have you called Carlisle or Esme?"

Jasper nodded and flopped down in the recliner, surprised when Alice got off of the couch and walked over to crawl into his lap. She rested her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as he rocked them. "She said to lay low until they can get someone on it. So, that means aside from the girls doing their daily routine, you and I are stuck in the house. With the blinds closed of course."

"I'm not doing anything with you that would require closed blinds," Edward replied firmly.

"What were you doing at the mall by yourself?" Alice asked, knowing very well the position he'd put himself in by going there.

He just shrugged and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Just had to get out."

"Well, it's been a long day," Bella said overdramatically yawning and stretching her arms over her head. "I'm goin to bed."

"It's only 7:15," Edward questioned, receiving a light kick on the shin when he didn't catch on, earning amused glances from the couple across from them as they hurried out of the room.

"Guess Edward got his Christmas present today?" Jasper asked as Ali smiled and nodded.

"Be happy you haven't been here for the last few hours. It's been absolutely disgusting… So Maria huh?"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I swear that was the biggest mistake of my life. I don't know what the hell I was thinking with that one."

"Better question is what were you thinking with?"

"Hey!"

"You know I'm right. Don't let your dick lead you into things you can't handle. It's a body part not a compass."

Jasper slid his arm up her back and cupped the back of her head in his hand, guiding her face to his before attacking her mouth with his own. "So if it's leading me in your direction I guess I need to turn the other way?"

"Well... no... just other girls."

* * *

Esme looked up as Carlisle walked into her office. "What have you got?"

He shrugged. "Well, Maria and this Victoria chick certainly aren't cousins, much less related. From what I can tell she's just tryin' to ruin Jasper. No doubt retribution for him dumping her for the shit she pulled."

"Can we pull any account information find out if there's any money connecting the two of them?"

"I've got a detective at Indy PD checking into it. Turns out the tag Jasper called us about belongs to Jacob Black. He's bad news... involved in some big time stuff up in New York. If they can catch him on this petty crime they can nail him for a hell of a lot more."

"So what exactly is going on? I thought this girl's ex was just jealous and blackmailed her," Esme sighed.

"Well, it may have started out that way, but what I'm getting out of it is there's money changing hands. It started out as a jealous blackmail from the ex and now somehow Maria's gotten involved to take Jasper down in the process."

"Well, we'll just have to take Maria down as well."


	26. Chapter 25

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___****__AN: Apparently I'm feeling super generous today. So you get a third chapter! And for those of you asking about who Maria is and changing her name, remember she's the vamp that changed Jasper. There's a reason I'm using that name._

**And on an off note, has anyone seen Rob's new hair? Very cute. He looks much better without an unwashed rat's nest on his head.**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five

Maria flopped down onto Victoria's couch and flipped through the photographs that she'd been handed the minute she'd arrived. "I can't believe this. Look at that slut!" she hissed as her eyes fell on a picture of Jasper and Alice.

"Tell me about it. She's white trash, " Victoria replied, filing at a chipped nail as she popped her gum. "Been a whore as long as I've known her."

"How long has that been?"

"High school? Hell I don't know. She's been Bella's little lapdog for years," she snorted in disgust.

Maria watched her for a few minutes before speaking up. "So? What's your plan? How are you gonna bring them down?"

"My plan?" Victoria choked in response. "I thought you were coming up with the plan. I got the pictures like you asked. They've been sent to Cullen Enterprises and Bella has seen them as well. Who's your target in this anyway?"

With a sigh, Maria rose to her feet and began pacing in front of the large picture window that looked out onto the busy residential street. "Well, I was initially planning to bring Jasper down but since that idiot you hired to take the pictures got Edward and that other girl involved, we've got a shitload of extra trouble to work out."

"Hey! Jacob just took the pictures like he was asked. You didn't give specifics."

"Then how did Edward and his girlfriend get involved," she replied as she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Victoria. "To help you get your little rich boy's money?"

"Don't start with me, Maria. If you wanted this done your way, you should've been here to see it through."

"Well if I'd known what a complete imbecile you were, I would've."

As soon as the words were out of Maria's mouth, Victoria stood and tossed her nail file onto the coffee table before stalking over to her. "Don't call me names Maria. You're just as stupid as I am if you didn't think this through."

Running a thoughtless hand through her hair, Victoria hoped Maria hadn't caught fully what she'd said. She wasn't really that stupid.

A frown pulled at her mouth. Since leaving the firm, she was absolutely certain her intelligence had been slowly leaking. A week ago she had everything all planned out. She was certain in her ploy to get James or at least his money, for good and now, she had nothing left. No job, no money, no boyfriend.

This blackmail thing had to pan out or she was going to be severely screwed in the long run. "Look, let's stop fighting and come up with a plan okay?" she pleaded with Maria. "We just need a better plan."

* * *

Jasper shuffled into the kitchen, scratching the back of his head as he made a bee line for the pot of coffee. "Morning," he grumbled to Edward.

"Hey," he replied with a yawn. "Ali still sleeping?"

After pouring a cup of coffee, Jasper sat across from him and shook his head. "I don't know where she is. She didn't say she had anything to do this morning but who the hell knows."

"Well, Bella's not here either. She was gone when I got up, I tried to call her cell but it's going straight to her voicemail."

"Maybe she's at work."

Edward shook his head. "I called, the lady working said she wasn't there and they were closed until after New Years. She just happened to be there picking up something when I called."

Jasper shrugged and yawned. "Well, I'm not gonna worry about it. They're probably out shopping for presents or something. That's what girls do."

"I guess," Edward replied, not quite sure he agreed with Jasper.

* * *

"Ali, I swear to God, if you drop me I will kick your ass. If my camera breaks, you're buying me a much better one," Bella hissed as she did the best she could to balance on her friend's shoulder.

"Just hurry, you're not as light as you used to be and I'm half your size. What do you see anyway?"

Bella waved her hand to quiet her friend as she spied on the two people in the room. Making sure she was hidden well enough behind a tree limb she gazed through the high kitchen window, holding down the shutter as she did so.

"This is disgusting," she groaned quietly finishing off the roll before motioning for Ali to put her down.

"What's disgusting?"

Bella's face literally paled as the images flashed through her mind. "Nothing, let's just get out of here and I'll show you later."

* * *

Half an hour later, they strode through the front door.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Edward and Jasper both bellowed, rushing towards the door to pull their respective girls in their arms.

"Nowhere, Dad, just hanging out," Ali cooed up at Jasper, trying to relieve the tension that marred his brow. "Oh for goodness sake, Jasper, we were just tryin' to save your asses."

"Huh?" Jasper frowned. "What did our asses do?"

"Got involved with Maria Ramirez for one thing. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't, I followed my dick. We've had this conversation already."

She just smiled. "I know. But I can't blame you, I'd follow your dick too, it's a nice dick."

"Hey!" Edward growled. "I really don't want to hear any of that. It's gross. I mean… that's Jasper," he said with a visible shudder.

Bella just chuckled as she pulled out of Edward's embrace and started down the hallway next to the stairs, stopping to pull open a door before entering and closing it behind her.

"What the hell? Where'd that door come from?" Edward asked, glancing between Alice and the door Bella had walked through.

"It's been there since the house was built, Edward. It's the basement."

"Why's she goin down there?"

Alice tugged on his shirt, pulling he and Jasper into the living room. "We've been at Victoria's."

"Why? What if someone saw you?"

She shook her head. "No one saw us. We got some pictures, not sure what but from the look on Bella's face after she took them, they could be just what we need to get Maria and Victoria off of our backs."

Jasper nodded. "Good. I talked to Carlisle this morning. The police picked up that Jacob guy. He admitted to taking the pictures but he won't tell who's behind the whole thing."

"Maybe it won't matter. I mean we already know he had a relationship with Victoria of some kind. That's the only connection we need. You guys got pictures of them together, right?"

Edward nodded his head, still staring towards the hallway, waiting for Bella to come back.

"It's probably gonna be an hour or so Edward. She's developing the shots from this morning. Just be patient."

Almost two hours later, Bella burst out of the basement door and hurried into the living room to find the other three sprawled across the living room watching tv. "We got 'em. They'll pull out of this or we're taking them down with us."

She smiled at the three curious faces and thrust her arm out before her. "Take a look at these guys."


	27. Chapter 26

___****__AN: Sorry guys this is another short chapter so you'll have to excuse me. Maybe you'll even get three updates today like you did yesterday, you never know._

**_Oh yeah, those of you looking for Rob's short hair. Check out TMZ's website type in his name if it's not on the main page._**

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six

Bella watched the expressions that crossed over her friends' faces as they flipped through the photos she'd offered.

"This is disgusting," Alice replied, her lip curling in distaste as she tossed the remainder to Jasper and Edward. "There's no way they won't withdraw now. They have to."

Jasper and Edward continued looking through the photos, repeatedly.

"Guys… hey…."

Bella finally quit trying to get their attention and yanked the photos out of their hands. "Hey! Focus!"

Both men opened their mouths a few times to speak but finally gave up.

"Ali, we're heading back over there. You two stay here and clean or something. You've stayed free for a week. Make it worth it."

* * *

"What the hell could you possibly want?" Victoria droned, having opened the door to Bella and Alice. "What's that smirk for?"

Bella marched past the buxom redhead without invitation and turned on her heel to stare at the two women who'd been attempting to make their lives miserable. "So you're Maria huh?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" the brunette bit back, as she rose to her full height, trying to intimidate Bella but lacking a few inches to get the job done.

"Anyway. We want the negatives and every hard copy you have of those photos back or you're goin down with us."

Victoria scoffed, crossing her arms over her face to look at Bella. "You've got some nerve you spoiled little bitch. We're not giving you shit."

Bella just shrugged. "Alright then. I'll make sure to email you the address of the site I put these photos on," she chirped, waving a large manila envelope as she headed towards the door.

"What photos?" Maria asked quickly.

"Oh just these…of your visit to Seattle."

"How could that possibly be reason enough for us to give you the negatives for the pictures?"

Bella smirked and walked towards Maria, stopping when they were just a few inches apart. "Maybe I should've been more specific. The photos of your little adventure with Victoria in the kitchen this morning, Ali and I were playing spin the bottle with two guys. What the hell was your excuse?"

Maria swallowed. "What?"

Cocking her head to the side, Bella flipped open the front of the folder holding a picture in Maria's face.

She paled and glanced at Victoria before glaring at Bella. "You manipulative little bitch."

"Ah, see, I'm not the manipulator here. You are, you just manipulated the wrong person. So, what's it gonna be? Do I get what I'm asking for or do you and Victoria get your little 'incestual' lesbian love tryst plastered all over the internet? I mean you are cousins right? And you may have gotten me and Ali kissing on film, but I certainly don't have my hand in her panties and my mouth on her nipple, among other things. That's gonna be kind of hard to explain isn't it?"

Alice chose that moment to step between the two. "What's the matter Maria? Can't find a man to touch you anymore so you moved on to your cousin? That's just beyond sick. Surely there's some washed up driver out there for you? They might take what you're offering. Sucks being a black flagged helmet licker doesn't it?"

"She's not my cousin!" Maria blurted out.

"Really?" Alice frowned. "But you told Jasper you were visiting your cousin. You're mother must be so proud."

"Shut up you skanky little.."

Alice quickly raised her arm and struck Maria hard across the face with her palm. "Only skank I see here is you…"

"Look, you've got until tomorrow morning to give us what we want," Bella quickly added then pulled Alice towards the door before things got entirely out of hand. "Oh, here, you can have these," she said, tossing the folder onto the coffee table. "There's a hell of lot more where that came from."

* * *

"What are we gonna do!?" Victoria panicked the moment the front door was closed.

Maria just shook her head. "Just let me think alright."

"Fuck your thinking Maria. This is beyond stupid now. They're not gonna give us any money. They're not going to pay us off for this shit. It's either them _and_ us or we give up. Their pictures are nothing to what they've got on us. I'm not goin down for you."

"Didn't stop you this morning," Maria mumbled, receiving a slap in the face for her comment. "What the fuck!? Quit slapping!"

"I'm done with this. My life's turned to nothing but shit since I let you talk me into this. I'm out."

"You can't just back out now, Victoria."

"Yes, I can. I want you gone when I get back," she said, before walking out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

* * *


	28. Chapter 27

___****__AN: Here's another short one. Again sorry but you're getting multiple updates so don't complain. I think I may post two chapters so we'll see what happens. There's about ten chapters left in this story I believe. Anyway... hope you enjoy it. I'll decided in the next few hours if you get another update today or not._

**_I've also posted a one shot called The Necessity of Politics if you'd like to read it. I have no plans at this time on expanding it but I appreciate the urging to do so._**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jasper wiped down the kitchen counter having just finished the dishes as Edward vacuumed the runner in the foyer. He couldn't believe he was doing housework for a girl he'd only known a week or two. Hell, he didn't even know how long he'd been here.

The minute he'd left Indiana, time seemed to stop and he'd enjoyed every single minute of it. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay forever and he had to head back home the day after next. He just didn't know how he was going to break it to Ali.

Edward on the other hand could stay until after Christmas if he wanted. Just what he was going to do, he wasn't quite sure of yet.

"The girls just pulled up," Edward called as he opened the door and the two came in laughing hysterically. "Things went well then?"

Jasper leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, watching the two as they wiped the tears from their eyes.

"Yeah, they went well. I told them they have until tomorrow morning to get the negatives and photos back of us or their fun will be plastered all over the internet."

"You're evil baby," Edward said, shaking his head. "I like it." He pulled her into his arms and they walked into the living room to watch tv.

Alice looked up at Jasper. "You alright? You look like your favorite toy broke."

"Nah, I'm fine," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Can we talk?"

A frown pulled at her mouth as she nodded her head. "Yeah."

Jasper took her hand and led her up the stairs to her room, closing the door softly behind them as she went ahead to sit on her bed.

"So what's up?"

He placed her vanity stool in front of her and sat down, staring at the floor as he reached out to take her hands in his. "I don't know how to do this… um… Ali, I really like you. I feel more for you than I've felt for anyone in a really long time. I want you to know that."

She nodded, continuing to watch him as she felt her heart slowly begin to crumble.

"I've got to go back home."

She gave him a short smile. "I didn't expect you to stay here forever, Jasper. I know you have a life in Indiana, I know your work and family are there. I wouldn't expect anything else. This has been fun. That's all it was supposed to be right. I just wish you could stay until after Christmas."

"Come with me," he blurted out, his eyes widening in surprise that he was even thinking such a thing.

"What?"

"Come with me." There it was again.

Alice shook her head and stood up, pacing at the foot of the bed before stopping to look at him. "I can't come with you Jasper. You need to spend the holidays with your family. I'd just be in the way."

"I didn't just mean for the holidays, Ali." What the hell was coming out of his mouth!? First he asked her to come home with him, now he wants her to stay.

"Jasper! Stop, alright. Don't try to be nice to me. We had a fling. The sex was great. You have a life somewhere else. You don't have to make me feel better by inviting me along. I understand. It was just sex from the beginning anyway. I didn't expect anything more out of you."

"I'm not just trying to make you feel better. I want you to come back with me. I just met you Alice and I don't know you well enough yet. I need you to go with me so I can know you more."

An unladylike snort escaped her mouth as she shook her head yet again. "Won't that really piss Esme off?"

"I don't really care. She's not my mama, well technically, she may act like it but..."

"Uh huh."

"She's not. Anyway, Esme will love you."

"Why's that?"

"Cause you don't put up with shit from me."

A thoughtful look passed over her face. "When do you leave?"

"Day after tomorrow," he replied hopefully, pulling her between his legs to wrap his arms around her waist.

"Let me think about it alright. I'll tell you in the morning."

He nodded and leaned his head back with his lips puckered in a fishlike way, causing her to giggle as she lowered her lips to his. "That's all I want. Well that and you to go with me."

* * *

Bella frowned and looked over at Edward.

"What's wrong?" he asked, snuggling closer to her side.

"They've been up there a while… and it's really quiet."

"Jasper's gotta go home in two days, he's probably just telling her," he replied nonchalantly.

"Oh." She cocked her head to look at him. "When do you have to go home?"

"Not yet. I wouldn't miss Christmas with you," he smiled, pressing his lips to hers.

Nodding slowly, she chewed on her lip, worrying herself over whether or not her friend's heart was going to be shattered into a thousand pieces when she came back down the stairs.


	29. Chapter 28

___****__AN: Well at this rate the stories going to be finished next week and I won't have White Flag ready so you'll be getting something else. I'll go ahead and apologize in advance should that be the case. I promise you'll get the sequel to Somebody soon. I'm just trying to give myself some time to get it right and rectify the problem I created in the first one. :D_

**_Anyway... here's your third update for the day. I know you'll be getting one update tomorrow. I can't promise anymore because I will most likely only be working half a day and remember I will not be posting again until Jan. 2nd. So if you haven't read all of my shorts or some of my other stories you can read those to get you by until I'm back at work. I may or may not update while I'm on vacation but it's most likely not going to happen._**

**_Enjoy!_**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer.**_

* * *

Chapter Twenty – Eight

Victoria sat in the parking lot at the bank staring at the folder in her hand. When Jacob had taken the pictures, they'd gone and opened a safety deposit box to put the negatives in, ensuring that no one would be able to get to them without them knowing.

Opening the folder, she dumped the contents into the passenger seat of the car and felt her heart drop. All that was left was the negative sleeves, minus the negatives and a folded piece of paper.

Her face grew red as she unfolded the paper to see Jake's hurried scrawl.

_When I get the money, you get the negatives. – J_

"Stupid sonofabitch!" she squealed hitting the steering wheel, quickly punching a number into her cell phone before bringing it to her ear.

"_This is J. Leave it."_

"Jacob! You unbelievable bastard! I need those negatives! There's not gonna be any money… it's lose lose for us so get them back to me now!"

She hung up, tossing the phone across the car then burying her fingers in her hair as she fought back the tears. She was so screwed. They all were.

* * *

Lieutenant Michael Lee looked at the cell phone in his hands, writing down the number that appeared on the caller id before pressing the key to the voicemail system. He listened with amusement at the frazzled woman on the other line, begging Jacob for the negatives he'd sworn to their detectives were not in his possession.

Hanging up the phone, he dropped the number off with one of the ladies at the desk asking her to find a name then stalked into holding to Jacob Black's cell.

"Now Jake, where are those negatives you told us you didn't have?" Lt. Lee asked, cocking his head to the side as he watched the bull-headed man stare back at him. "I know you've got them. See you just got a sweet little phone call from your woman I guess wanting those negatives. Something about money and what not."

"I ain't got 'em."

"Yeah, I'm not buying."

"I don't really give a shit. How do you know I'm not being set up?"

Lee scoffed at him in amazement. "For one thing, you already confessed to taking those photographs. For another, I've got you on every charge in the book for shit you've pulled in the last five years. You telling me that's all a set up too?"

"Yup."

"Uh huh. Well I tell you what, we'll just find this girl you say is setting you up and get her side of the story. Maybe we can bargain with her where she's off scott free and you're rotting in a cell for the remainder of your sick pathetic life."

Jacob turned away from him and sat on the bunk. His jaw was clinched tightly shut and his arms were folded firmly over his chest.

"So be it."

"Lt. Lee," a young lady called to him from the entrance, she wasn't allowed any further into lock up.

He approached her, talking with her quietly for a few minutes before calling back to Jacob. "We'll make sure to tell Victoria you said hi."

With that, he left, slamming the door solidly behind him.

* * *

Alice lay in bed staring at the ceiling as Jasper slept soundly next to her. His head was resting on her stomach while she thoughtlessly threaded her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp as she did so.

Her mind was reeling from Jasper's request. Did she want to go back with him? Hell yes!

Should she? That was the real question.

They didn't know each other that well. Other than a few conversations about what they thought they might be feeling for each other their relationship had been purely sexual. Going to Indiana was going to do nothing but break her heart and she had to deal with that.

Every single ounce of her wanted to go with him but she couldn't. Not right now. Maybe later after they got to know each other better, after a million phone calls. She knew he wasn't going to be happy with her answer but it was herself she had to face up to when it came down to it and she just wasn't ready.

* * *

Bella yawned and slid out of the bed, being careful not to wake Edward as she eased out of the room and downstairs to the basement.

She'd spent a better part of the evening developing the photos she'd taken at her studio and after staring at the erotic pictures of she and Edward for hours on end, she'd been well beyond aroused when they'd finally made it to her room.

Edward had been worked over good and proper before they both finally collapsed of pure exhaustion.

She turned on the lights and took her time going over the images, trying to decide on the perfect one for Edward's gift. Her favorite was one that she'd cropped the image showing only their bodies from their mouths down. There was just the slightest hint of their colliding tongues, their arms were wrapped around each other's bodies and wore matching jeans low on their hips with the white band of underwear peaking out just so.

It was erotic and tasteful which is exactly what she wanted. It was something they could both hang on their walls proudly without wondering if anyone would recognize them. They'd have to look pretty closely for that.

"Bells?"

She quickly turned and ran up the basement stairs, locking the door firmly behind her before meeting Alice on her way down from her room. "What's up sweetie?" she asked, noticing her friend's pinked cheeks. "Are you okay?"

Alice just nodded. "I'm fine. I just, I'm worried about how he's going to respond to my answer."

Bella sighed and reached over to take her hand. "Ali, you do what you feel you need to do. Don't worry about Jasper. He's a big boy and if he wants something out of this he's not just going to give up because you decide not to do what he wants."

"What about Edward?"

"Edward's gonna be here until Christmas at least. I don't know anything else. He hasn't asked me to go with him. I don't know that I'd go. I mean I've got the gallery and everything is here for me. I can't just leave."

"Yes you could, if you love him enough."

Bella looked down at the floor. "I'll deal with it when it's time."


	30. Chapter 29

___****__AN: Alright people, I'm only going tobe at work for two more hours today so I'm going to go ahead and post two chapters this morning and leave it at that. As I said yesterday you most likely will not get another update until Jan. 2. Sorry but I'm looking forward to my week off so you'll just have to get over it._

**_I don't have much to say this morning except... Enjoy "Cowboy" and no, you can't get any advanced readings just because you know me. :D_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

**_

* * *

_**

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Bella opened the door at seven the next morning to find Victoria looking pale and extremely worse for wear. "You got the negatives?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Victoria shook her head in response. "Can I just talk to you for a minute?"

With a sigh, Bella nodded and opened the door, motioning her towards the living room. "What is it?"

"I went to the bank to get the negatives yesterday and they were gone. Jacob took them and I can't get in touch with him. He's back in New York. I've left him five messages and he won't answer, he won't call me back. I don't know what to do."

Bella eyed her suspiciously to see if she was telling the truth or not. She knew Jacob was in police custody but obviously that little bit of information hadn't gotten to Victoria as of yet.

"Please give me a little more time. Don't post those pictures of me and Maria please. She's manipulative… she…"

"I'll give you a few more days. But there's something you should know before trying to call Jacob again. He was arrested three days ago. The Cullen's have some friends on the force that were more than happy to bring him in. Seems he's got a lot of shit he's pulled in the past that they haven't been able to get him on. He's gonna be there for a while."

Taking a deep breath, Victoria nodded. "I guess I'll just have to go get them."

Bella opened the front door for her to leave hoping she was doing the right thing by giving her a few more days. But it was more for Jasper and Edward than anyone else that she was doing it.

"I'm really sorry about all of this Bella," Victoria said as she stepped onto the porch.

"No you're not. You're just sorry you got caught and that it got turned around on you."

"It was never about you… at least not at the beginning…"

Bella shook her head. "Don't try to be my friend Victoria. Just get the negatives and I'll give you the negatives. After that, if I so much as see you or Maria within a ten mile radius of Jasper, Edward, Alice or me and any member of my family, something will be done about it."

With a short nod, Victoria turned and walked away.

"Who was that?" Edward asked Bella as he descended the stairs and slipped his arms around her waist.

She shrugged. "Victoria. She couldn't get the negatives. I gave her a few more days. Jacob seems to have grabbed them before he took off back to New York so we're just gonna have to wait a few more days before we decide what to do."

"Well, while we're waiting on that… I can think of a few things to do…" he murmured against her neck, causing a chill to run down her spine.

* * *

Alice sat on the patio, her arms wrapped tightly around her in her large black sweater that was tied securely around her waist. She'd been watching the large group of birds that covered the grass, scrounging for the last bit of food before the supreme cold front that was expected to move across the state later in the day.

The threat of winter weather of the predicted magnitude brought on a state of panic followed by the temporary paralysis of fear as they waited for the worst.

Alice on the other hand couldn't wait for it. She knew she couldn't go back with Jasper but maybe she could get an extra day with him if the weather was bad enough to keep him grounded.

Of course, once she told him she couldn't go, he may jump on a plane and leave before the weather had time to move in.

"There you are," he called from behind her, shivering as he moved to sit behind her.

Doing her best to hold back the tears that threatened to fall as he pulled her back against him she quickly closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chin. "What are you doing out here? It's freezing?"

She sniffled and smiled. "Willing a blizzard to come snow you in…"

Jasper stiffened behind her and he felt his heart drop into his stomach at her words. "You're not going," he said softly, feeling her shake her head in response.

"I can't, Jasper," she pulled out of his embrace and turned to look at him, wanting him to see how much it hurt her to stay there but it was something she had to do. "We don't know each other well enough for me to stop everything in my life and run off to be with you."

His jaw tightened as he stared at her then gave a short nod and stood up, quickly retreating into the house, followed moments later by the slamming of a door, no doubt belonging to her bedroom.

Alice shook her head willing herself not to cry. She couldn't give in. He could pout and act as childish and spoiled as he wanted, she wasn't going to give.

"Ali? What's goin on?" Bella called from the doorway.

"I told him I wasn't going," she replied, wiping at the free flowing tears. "He didn't take it well."

Bella frowned and sat next to her, wrapping her arms tightly around her as Alice leaned her head on her shoulder to cry. "I'm sorry sweetie," she replied, gently rocking her friend as she pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "It'll all work out alright. You did the right thing."

* * *

"What the fuck's your problem?" Edward asked having stalked across the hall to Alice's room when Jasper had interrupted his time with Bella by slamming the door.

Jasper glared at him over his shoulder as he threw his suitcase on the bed and started throwing his things inside of it. "What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're going home early."

"Yeah, well I'm not wanted here. No reason in staying any longer," he bit out, zipping the case so roughly he snagged the edge of his finger in the teeth. "Shit!"

Edward shook his head. "Calm down man. Who the hell doesn't want you here anyway?"

"Alice. Of course she just doesn't really want me anywhere in general."

With a snort, Edward crossed his arms over his chest. "She said no and you're ego can't take it. That's really what happened, right. How does it feel to be on the receiving end for once?"

Jasper rose to his full height and stared at the younger man, a bitter look on his face. "What makes you think it's gonna be any different with Bella? You think she's just gonna drop everything and run back to Indianapolis with you?"

"No," Edward said, shaking his head. "I know that she's got a life here and I would never ask her to give that up. But just because we're a few hundred miles apart doesn't mean we don't love each other."

"I don't get you, Edward."

Edward just shrugged. "I know that if it's meant to be, things will work out. I'm not going to force the issue. You've barely known Alice for a week Jasper. There's been a lot of sex but has there been anything else? Anything to build a relationship on?"

"You mean like you and Bella have the perfect relationship?"

"No. Nothing's perfect. Especially that but I know it's a two way street and if you give up now there's no point in being pissed at Ali. She's only protecting herself and you can't blame her for that."

"Whatever. I'll see you when you get home."

Jasper grabbed his bags and pushed past Edward before stomping down the stairs and out of the house.


	31. Chapter 30

___****__AN: Here it is! The final update of the year! Enjoy! Merry Christmas everybody! Happy New Year! Hook em Horns!_

**_And for those of you asking for longer chapters. I've already explained to you why they aren't longer and you've gotten 3 chapters a day for the last two days. DON'T COMPLAIN! I'm working on drawing things out a little longer but give me a break here. I don't like constant scene changes and thats what would happen if the chapters were longer and I'm not much for filler. _**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

****Chapter Thirty

* * *

Victoria paid the driver and got out of the cab before turning to gaze up at the run-down apartment building that Jacob lived in.

She was just going to have to find the negatives herself and she was pretty sure he wasn't smart enough to put them somewhere for safe keeping so they had to be in the rat hole somewhere.

Hurrying up the stairs as she weaved her way through the degenerative stench that lined the halls, she slipped her key into the lock and quickly stepped over the threshold, making sure to double bolt the doors as soon as she was securely inside.

When she turned to face the room, she was met with a mess. There were things strewn all over the floor, the bed wasn't made and the sheets looked like they hadn't been washed in months.

Swallowing the bile that had risen in her throat she began to pick through the trash until she noticed a group of photos on the wall next to the bed. All but one of them was at an odd angle.

She stepped over the piles of paper and clothing, praying that nothing furry or six legged brushed against her.

Taking the photograph off of the wall she turned it over to look at the back, noticing a raised area along the center.

A smile pulled at her lips as she pulled up the tabs on the back of the frame to pull the backing off and a small envelope fell at her feet. Picking it up, she opened the flap to find negatives. She held a few up to the light to make sure they were what she was looking for then stuffed them inside of her purse.

Victoria unlocked the locks and stepped out into the hall.

"Victoria Hitchcock?"

She froze as she looked at the two uniformed officers standing in front of her. "Yes."

"Will you come with us please ma'm?"

"Um… wh…why? What did I do?"

"I'm afraid we can't disclose that at this time, we just need you to come with us."

* * *

Alice stared out of the window as a light snow fell, barely dusting the grassy areas as it quickly melted on the streets. It was seven in the morning and Christmas Eve and the last thing she wanted was to be trapped in the house with Edward and Bella.

They'd missed going to Bella's parents the night before because she didn't want Alice to be alone and knew she wasn't in the mood for playing happy with her family. She just felt like she'd ruined everything for Bells.

She truly was happy for her friend but she was heartbroken at the moment and didn't want to be trapped with the two of them for the next few days.

Her bag had long been packed while she waited for Bella to get up so she could tell her she would be spending the holiday elsewhere.

Hearing a light knock on her door she opened it to see Bella groggy with a worried look on her face. "Hey. You alright? I got up to go to the bathroom and saw your light on."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alice replied motioning toward the bag sitting on her bed. "Um, I'm glad you're up though. I'm gonna spend the holidays with my aunt."

"Ali…"

She shook her head, trying to stop any argument. "Please Bells, just let me do this. I love you and I'm glad you have Edward here but I can't be around you two right now. Please don't hate me for this."

"Never," Bella replied with a sad smile. "Are the roads alright to drive?" she asked seeing the snow falling outside.

"Yeah. I'll call you when I get there. Shouldn't take me too long as early as it is."

Bella pulled Alice into a hug. "Okay be careful."

Alice grabbed her bag and walked down the stairs, followed by Bella so she could lock the door behind her.

"Oh! Hold on a second alright…" Bella yelped as if she'd almost forgotten something and darted back up to her room, returning a few moments later with a small box wrapped in an ornate green and silver combo. "Don't open this until tomorrow morning. No peeking!"

"Okay," she laughed. "Have fun. Just don't have sex anywhere that I sit. Or eat."

"Bye. I love you."

"You too."

Bella chewed on her lip as she watched Alice pull out of the drive and head to the giant monstrosity of her aunt's house.

She walked back up to her room and opened the door to find Edward sitting up, leaning against the headboard with his cell phone pressed to his ear. A questioning frown fell over her face and he motioned for her to hold on a minute as he finished up the conversation and hung up the phone. "Who was that?"

"Jasper. The police picked up Victoria this morning leaving Jacob's. She found the negatives and turned them over to them. She's also testifying against him in some other cases that he was involved in and they haven't been able to charge him with. Lack of hard evidence, which it seems she has plenty of."

"That's great," Bella smiled. "But what about Maria. She's just gonna get away scott-free?"

"Victoria told them about her involvement and seems she was the mastermind behind the entire thing to begin with. Jacob and Victoria were just her lackeys. They picked her up in Houston this morning."

"So it Jasper relieved?"

Edward nodded. "Very much so, guess we need to tell Ali so she doesn't have to worry about that."

"I'll tell her when she calls. She's on her way to her aunt's for the holidays."

"What? Why?" Edward asked hurt that he probably wouldn't see her again before he left.

Bella shrugged. "She just couldn't be around us right now. Not with everything that's happened with Jasper."

"Jasper's a jackass when he doesn't get his way," Edward sighed. "I certainly never expected him to just walk out the door without even a goodbye. That was just plain cruel. And it doesn't mean shit now but I know he really cares about her. Otherwise her refusal wouldn't have hurt him like that."

"As much as I want to believe that, he still broke her heart and now he's on my shit list," Bella stated firmly, receiving a soft laugh in response. "Don't laugh at me, I'm serious. You mess with Ali you mess with me."

"So I've noticed," he muttered, pulling her to straddle his lap. He nuzzled her neck, peppering kisses against the sliver of skin that peaked out from beneath her robe. "Can I mess with you now?"

Bella closed her eyes as his hand slipped inside the warmth of the fabric to cup her full breast in his palm. He teased her taut nipple with his thumb before lowering his mouth to take the tightened bud into his mouth.

"Hmm?"

"What?" she managed to ask as his free hand slipped between her legs to the slick folds of her heat. "Oh God."

Bella rose onto her knees and untied her robe, tossing the material aside as she pushed the comforter out of the way to reveal Edward hard and ready.

She balanced herself on all fours as she lowered her head to tease the tip of his cock with her tongue, never breaking eye contact with him as she took his hardness into the moist heat of her mouth.

"Fuck," he hissed, burying his hands in her long chestnut hair as she attacked him in earnest, dropping to her elbows so that her perfectly round bottom swayed provocatively with each move she made.

Feeling his body near release, he pulled her away from his cock and thrust his tongue into her mouth as he reached out to bring her closer, releasing a groan of pure hunger as she sank down onto him.

Bella rolled her hips against him, her clit brushing against his skin with each move and the head of his cock hitting her just right with each thrust.

"Shit Bells… I'm so fucking close…" he growled.

He gripped her hips tightly in his hands, thrusting into her with abandon as he pulled her down to meet each one until his head fell back and he exploded inside of her.

"Oh shit," he moaned through clenched teeth as his body rode wave after wave of pleasure as hers did the same. "Fuck…"

Bella tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth and rolled onto her side, pulling him with her as she did so. "I love you, Edward."

"I love you too, Bells…" he gently brushed his lips against hers then pulled her to his side. "Wake me up when you're ready for round two."

"I"ll do that," she giggled then snuggled into his warmth quickly falling asleep.


	32. Chapter 31

___****__AN: SURPRISE!! _

**_I've decided I love you guys to much to make you wait until the end of the year for more of this and seeing that there are only 4 more chapters, why not start the year off with a new story. I'm sorry to disappoint you but it won't be the sequel to Somebody unless you want to wait for updates on it. I'll put up a poll so you guys can decide. If I do start posting it, I'll be posting my other story along with it which will be NASCAR related only a few of you were completely against it but I promise it has more to do with their lives than racing. Anyway... check my profile for the poll and I'll decide what's going to happen on Monday._**

**_Speaking of Monday... my Horns are playing the Buckeyes at 8 eastern on FOX so watch and cheer on my boys please!! McCoy and Gideon! And Shipley's coming back next year for a sixth year... YAY!!_**

**_Any hizzle... on with the story!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

**_

* * *

_**

Chapter Thirty-One

Tanya Hale sat at her godmother's dining room table, gently rocking her daughter Kate, while her little brother slammed drawers and cabinets, a permanent grimace on his face. "What's got you all charming this morning?" she smirked receiving a glare for her comment.

Jasper just rolled his eyes and opened the refrigerator to pull out a beer.

"Little early for that Jazz," Esme called as she walked into the kitchen and took it out of his hand, replacing it with a bottle of orange juice. "Drink that, sunshine."

He slammed the oj down on the counter and stomped into the living room and flopped angrily onto the sofa leaving the two women in complete confusion.

"What'd you do to him Tanya?"

Tanya shrugged in response. "I didn't do anything. He's been a bear since he got here yesterday, it's just seems worse somehow."

Esme tucked her hair behind her ear and put her hands on her hips. "Think this has anything to do with Maria?"

"Nah that situations been taken care of. I think it's the girl he left back in Seattle," Tanya replied unable to hold in a chuckle.

"Jasper? Sweetie? You want to talk about it?" Esme asked in a saccharine voice as she joined him on the couch.

He just shook his head, continuing to stare straight ahead at the blank television. "I'm fine."

She eyed him and pursed her lips in irritation. "Jasper, I may not be your mother but I'm the closest thing you've got. This is me you're talking to. Not some random person that doesn't know a thing about you and can't read you easier than a Dick & Jane book. What's her name?"

"Huh?" he looked at her in surprise, like he'd been caught in a lie.

"What's her name? The girl you left behind."

He snorted. "I didn't leave her behind. She stayed. There's a difference."

"Jasper…" she warned.

"Alice alright? Alice Brandon."

"So you asked her to come home with you for the holidays?"

Jasper shook his head and leaned it back on the cushions. "I asked her to come home with me indefinitely. She said no."

Esme's eyes widened. "Well no wonder! Smart girl!"

"Huh?!" Jasper was completely shocked by his godmother's comment. "Why would you say that? What's wrong with me? With staying here with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you baby. But if I recall you've only known her for a week or two. I wouldn't have uprooted for a guy I've barely known all of a week either . That's a short time to know someone and disrupt your life for them."

"But she rejected me… how are you not picking up on that?"

"She didn't reject you sweetheart. She's protecting herself. If you can't see that then honestly, you don't deserve her."

Jasper glared at her. "Why is it that Edward is starting to sound a lot like you?"

"Pardon?"

"He told me practically the same thing."

Esme smiled. "Well at least one of my children is picking up on what I'm teaching." She sat silently for a moment watching her godson. "Go back to her. I won't be offended that you're not spending the holidays with your family. Anyway, all you're gonna do is ruin it for the kids with that attitude anyway."

"Gee mom, thanks."

"Go…"

Jasper stared at her, wanting to take her advice but not sure he could.

"Go, Jasper. I seriously doubt you're the only one miserable right now."

* * *

Bella had just finished wrapping her present for Edward when the doorbell rang and she rushed to get it before the sound woke him from his nap.

Opening the door, she smiled and stepped out of the way for her brother to enter. "Merry Christmas Emmett," she smiled, leaning down to hug him and place a kiss on his cheek. Suddenly noticing Rosalie hovering behind him on the porch.

She offered a smile and a hug to the tall blonde and closed the door behind her as she followed Emmett into the living room.

"You too squirt," he chuckled, looking around at the Christmas décor that seemed to cover every square inch of the house. "Looks like an elf threw up in here," he mumbled following her into the living room.

She laughed at his comment and placed Edward's gift under the tree and sat on the couch. "So to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Emmett hadn't been to her house in almost a year, but she couldn't blame him. He had severe trouble navigating through the small doorways inside. Not long after moving in, she'd had a ramp built leading to the porch to make it easier for him but she had yet to get around to widening the access within.

"Well, you guys weren't at mom and dad's last night. I wanted to see if everything was okay. You and Ali haven't missed that … ever."

Bella gave him a soft smile. "Ali's kind of heartbroken. I didn't want to put her through family stuff and I couldn't leave her alone. She went to her aunt's this morning so Edward and I could have Christmas together."

"So he's still here?"

"Yeah. He'll be heading back to Indiana in a few days so we have to make the most of it."

"You aren't gonna go with him?"

She shook her head. "No. I've got too much goin on here. Anyway, someone's gotta keep tabs on you."

Emmett cast a quick glance towards Rosalie, a smile pulling at his lips as her face turned a bright shade of red. "Actually I think Rose has got that covered."

"Oh she does huh?" Bella laughed seeing the subtle interaction between the two as Emmett reached over to rest a hand on Rosalie's knee. "It's about damn time."

Emmett looked at his sister in confusion. "What?"

"You two. Its about time you finally saw what was right in front of you the whole time."

He cleared his throat as he turned red as well and decided to change the subject. "So who broke Ali's heart? I thought I had it," he chuckled, receiving one in response.

"Jasper."

"Whitlock? Well, I hate to be an ass but she was asking for it with him anyway…"

Bella shook her head. "He wanted her to go back with him."

"Then why … huh?"

"She told him no. He got really upset and left. That's all I can tell you. I just feel bad for both of them. They really like each other a lot. I don't know about love or anything but there was definitely something there. Course I also wanna kick Jasper's ass for behaving the way he did."

Emmett watched her for a moment and shook his head. "You can't blame him. Rejections hard to take…"

"Well I'm not gonna pat him on the back for it. He was an ass. Rejected or not."

"So Ali's at Jenny's?" he asked again.

Bella nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright, well, I'll head over there. Maybe I can cheer her up." Emmett smiled at his sister and turned towards the door before stopping to look back at her. "You look really happy Bells."

She smiled and nodded. "I really am…"

He sighed. "Don't let what you have here keep you from holding on to what he's offering Bella. If I hadn't held Cassie off for so long because of prior obligations, I would've had a hell of lot more time with her. I'm not gonna make Rosalie wait anymore either. I'm only hurting both of us by doing so. Just remember that."

Bella saw the sheen of tears cover his eyes as he quickly turned away from her and opened the door, nearly rolling over the very desperate looking man on her front porch.


	33. Chapter 32

___****__AN: Hi! I'm giving you another chapter._**_ I realize that the poll I mentioned was not on my profile yesterday so I'm sorry about that. I think I've got it fixed so hopefully it'll be there when you look. And... I'm going to see Twilight again tonight...*sigh* Love me some Kellen and Jackson._**

**_Anywho... this chapter's a little short, probably cheesy but it's mine so you better not complain._**

**_And don't forget... my Horns are playing the Buckeyes at 8 eastern on FOX so watch and cheer on my boys please!! McCoy and Gideon! And Shipley's coming back next year for a sixth year... YAY!!_**

**_On with the story!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two

Ali stood in her old bedroom staring out of the window, a cheerless smile on her face as the light snow slowly turned to sleet turning the little that had managed to accumulate into a slushy mess. That's how she felt. Like a slushy mess.

Every fiber in her body told her she'd done the right thing by telling Jasper no but just thinking about him made her heart hurt and soon after the tears would start to fall. She was just going to have to forget that Jasper Whitlock ever existed and go back to pining away for Emmett Swan.

Not that that was going to work either. Just another lost cause in her long line of lost causes. It wasn't until Jasper had shown up and she'd begun feeling things for him that she realized the she used Emmett as a shield.

He was someone she could hide behind to keep herself from getting hurt. The likelihood was, she never really felt the way she though she did. In reality, she was in love with the idea of being in love with him. A bittersweet torture so to speak.

She turned her gaze to the stacks and stacks of notebooks that cluttered her bookshelf, an occassional novel thrown in intermittently, most likely Bronte or Austen. The ones with eternal love and happy endings, when the guy actually came back for the girl in the end.

And those notebooks held her life for the last 15 years. Every single major, minor or absolutely insignificant event that had occurred in her life was written in those pages.

"Ali? Sweetie you have company…" her aunt Jenny called from the doorway, pulling her out of her haze before she glanced back out of the window seeing Emmett's car parked in the drive. "I'll be right down."

Quickly glancing in the mirror to make sure she didn't look like absolute hell, she ran a comb through her hair and shuffled aimlessly down the hall. Had it been any other time in her life she would've descended the stairs at breakneck speed to jump into his arms and not let go until he pleaded with her to stop in between his laughter at her behavior.

She knew he would never feel anything more than brotherly love for her but the attention that she poured upon him did wonders for his self-worth.

"Hey," she sighed, offering him a sorry excuse of a smile as she walked into his outstretched arms and sat herself firmly on his lap.

He kissed her forehead and rubbed his hands down her back. "You alright, munchkin?"

"No," she sniffled, burrowing into his neck. "I let him get too close and it bit me in the ass. He ripped my heart out when he left..."

"I'm sorry…"

Alice's head jerked around and she jumped out of Emmett's lap, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched Jasper slowly approach her. "What are you doing here?" she asked quietly, staring straight ahead at his chest, refusing to look him in the eyes. If she did the tears would start to fall.

"I didn't want to spend Christmas without you," he whispered, taking her hands in his before pulling her into his arms. "I'm sorry… I behaved like…"

"A spoiled, selfish jackass…" she muttered.

He chuckled. "Yeah. I was going to throw in egotistical too but we'll go with yours."

She pulled out of his arms and stepped back. "Don't play with me Jasper. Don't come back here and pretend that we're fine. We're not."

"I know. I'm here to straighten things out. Make them right."

Alice looked over at Emmett who offered her a gentle smile and motioned her over. "What is it?"

He handed her a small box and pulled her down into a hug. "Give him a chance," he whispered. "If he screws up, I've still got some connections. We'll take care of him."

She offered up a small nervous laugh. "Okay," she nodded.

"Call me later if you need to," he added before just barely brushing his lips over hers and leaving them alone.

She stared after him for a few moments and began to chuckle to herself.

"What's so funny?" Jasper asked, slightly confused and irritated that Bella's brother had kissed her right in front of him, especially with his girlfriend waiting for him in the car.

"Because," Alice smiled, sighing. "I've been head over heels for him since I was 12 years old."

Jasper frowned. "Why is that funny?"

"Cause when he kissed me just then it was like I was kissing my brother."

He smiled. "Ali, I'm really sorry… I just. You're not the only one that let someone get close. I haven't seriously dated anyone or dated in general since Maria. She seriously fucked me up where women are concerned and… I didn't want you to but you got under my skin big time."

"Yeah, I'm kinda like a rash that way," she offered, trying to lighten the mood to keep from becoming an emotional nutcase.

He smiled and cupped her face in his hands. "Can we start over?"

"No."

"Why? Ali I want to try this… I want to see what's here."

She nodded. "I do to. But I'm not starting over with you. I want to start with you. I want to start where we left off because I was just getting to know you. I don't want to go back any. I think we're where we need to be if we start from here."

"Okay. So is there room for me here for Christmas?"

"Of course there is. How'd you end up here anyway? I thought your family does Christmas big every year."

He shrugged. "Yeah… they do but, Esme kinda kicked me out and sent me back here. I was scaring the kids."

"You're such an idiot."

Jasper just rolled his eyes then lowered his head, brushing his lips against hers before thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

"If you plan on exchanging bodily fluids, get out of my foyer," Aunt Jenny drawled with her over the top Southern belle accent. "Up to your room missy. And lock the door. God forbid I walk in on you two."


	34. Chapter 33

___****__AN: Alright, I'm gonna go ahead and finish this out today. Hopefully you'll like it. I still don't know what I'm gonna do regarding White Flag so please vote and let me know what you want. Please keep in mind if I don't post White Flag I have another story that will be posted called Memories of Us. I am working on WF though so hopefully it won't be too long until it's posted. I'll probably start posting Memories on Monday that way everyone can have time to finish out this story and get their vote in regarding WF._

**_Anywho... hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews! Keep 'em comin!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Three

Edward glanced between the clock and the beautiful woman that slept peacefully at his side. It was Christmas morning. So early that the sun had yet to begin to rise but his rising had begun hours before.

He'd had erotic dreams about Bella all night only to wake up with her sleeping soundly and his cock painfully hard.

Gently easing his arm from beneath her, he quietly got out of the bed and went to the restroom to take care of his problem before tip-toeing down the stairs into the room off of the kitchen.

Even though he'd been sleeping in Bella's room the better part of the last week and a half he'd left his things in this room to keep from cluttering hers. After digging around in his bags for a few minutes, he finally found what he was looking for and hurried back up the stairs before she woke up to find him gone.

"Mmm…" she moaned, stretching her arms high above her head as she rolled over to snuggle against him.

Sighing as he'd covered up just in time for her to slip her arms around him, he couldn't contain a cough that jarred her. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Bella slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him, pulling his face to her to press a gentle kiss to his lips. "Merry Christmas," she smiled.

Edward watched her, feeling his heart skip at the look of happiness that covered her face, knowing he felt exactly the same way. He'd never felt for a girl half of what he felt for Bella. He just wished they weren't so far apart.

"Merry Christmas to you too. But I might prefer the PC term…"

Bella's eyes drew in confusion. "Huh?"

"You know, Happy Ramahanakwanzmas."

She stared at him, her eyes completely dead, her mouth closed tight. "Fine. I don't give Ramehoikwiznut presents, only Christmas. So you're just shit out of luck." She feigned a pout and threw the sheets aside and put her feet on the floor, preparing to stomp out of the room.

"Oh, no you don't," he chuckled, catching her around the waist to bring her back to lie across his chest. "I'm kidding with you and you know it."

"Where the hell did you get Ramammma whatever?"

"Glenn Beck," he smiled.

"Oh good Lord," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she popped him on the head. "You need to find something better to do with your time."

Edward brushed her hair out of her face. "I can think of plenty to do with my time. All of it involves you naked."

"Color me surprised," she replied dryly. "Do you want your present or not? I'm only in a giving mood for so long on Christmas morning. After that it's all about me."

"Yeah, in a minute."

He turned away from her, pulling a box off of the nightstand. "Here."

Bella pushed herself into a seated position and looked up at him in confusion. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"Yeah I did. It's not much. I wasn't really sure what to get the girl who's got everything so I got you this. If you don't like it, I'm sure I can find someone who'll buy it, I just thought you'd… well you being an artist and all…"

Her brow drew in determination as she carefully removed the paper, making sure not to tear it.

"Oh God, you're not one of those people are you…" he growled, receiving a swift pop on the side of the head for the comment.

"Shut up…"

She pushed the paper aside and opened the box to reveal a weathered looking brown leather book. "What is this?" she muttered more to herself than anyone else and pulled it out of the box then flipped the book open. "Holy shit! Edward! Where did you get this?!"

"Called in a favor."

"I'll say. This had to have cost a fortune! Why would you do this?! I can't… I can't possibly repay you for this. This is too much."

"Do you like it?" he asked quietly.

"Do I like it?" she squeaked as if he'd asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "Well hell yes! I love it but it's… It's priceless. It's a freaking Renaissance masterpiece. I don't even have enough money to insure the thing."

Edward chuckled.

Bella stared at the aged 5 x 8 piece of paper that sat before her, fearful to turn it over even though it was in a protective covering. She sat in awe as her eyes danced around the three sketches before her, each of a child hugging a lamb.

The pen and ink drawing was impeccably detailed by the Old Master who'd drawn it thousands of years ago.

"Turn it over. There's more…" he laughed.

"I'm afraid to touch it," she giggled, carefully picking it up by the very tips of the covering to flip it over. "Wow…"

On the other side was the head of an old man, some machinery, the dates 1500-1506 and the trademark, classic scrawl of none other than the Master himself. Leonardo Da Vinci.

"This is absolutely amazing… Where did you find this? I thought all his works were in museums or institutions."

Edward chuckled, she would of course know that. "Well, there were a few in private collections. I just happened to have found one."

"I don't know how you got it but you are officially the best person ever in the history of the world."

She carefully closed the leather binding that protected the drawing and placed it back in the box. Putting it aside she leaned forward and coaxed Edward into a mind blowing kiss before grudgingly pulling away. "My gift to you isn't going to be nearly that cool. Actually, you've ruined me for presents. There will never be anything I love more than that."

"I aim to please…" he smiled.

"To bad you over shot yourself. You're supposed to lure me in gradually. Not give me the whopper right off."

"Trust me. There's more I can give you to top that. We just have to be together a while longer for you go get them."

"Hmmm… Ready for your present?"

"Does it involve me and you and skin? Cause I'm so ready for it."

"Yup!" Bella chirped before jumping up and running out of the room, leaving Edward completely confused.

"Bells?" he called out, following her down the stairs and into the living room where she was bending down to get something out from under the tree, giving him a lovely view of her backside where her shorts rose up just enough for a little peak. "Oh… are we doin' it doggie style by the tree?"

She rolled her eyes and hauled a large box out then roughly shoved it at him. "No we aren't you freaking perve."

He just laughed and took the box to the couch, sitting down before quickly divesting the box of its paper while Bella cringed with each tear and rip.

Carefully ripping the tape out of the way, he opened the top of the box and pulled out a large black frame and his eyes widened momentarily when he caught sight of what it held. "Damn," he murmured. The black frame and white matting set off the black and white photo amazingly well definitely enhancing the sharp contrast of not only the film but the coloring of their bodies as well and stark highlights of her dark hair.

He curled his tongue behind his teeth as he looked it over, inspecting every single inch of what he considered to be an erotic masterpiece. "Okay, this is hot. You will never top this."

Bella smiled and took the frame out of his hand, walking around to prop it in the recliner on the other side of the room before returning to him.

She pushed him back on the couch and straddled him, leaning down to run her tongue along the seam of his lips. "So you like it?"

"It's fucking hot, that's for damn sure," he moaned against her neck as she began to writhe on his lap.

"I just didn't want you to forget about me when you're back home."

"That will never happen…"


	35. Chapter 34

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four

Alice sat in her aunt's parlor, waiting for Jasper to get out of bed. She's spent the last few hours having breakfast with her aunt as well as opening the multitude of gifts she'd gotten her for Christmas.

Jenny Sullivan had never married or had children so when she'd been given custody of Alice she'd doted on her ever since. As far as she was concerned, she could do no wrong and no one had ever made her more proud.

Since her first Christmas with Jenny, she'd gotten a present for every year of her life so she'd receiving a wopping twenty-two presents this year and none of them were cheap.

"What's going through that pretty little head of yours?" Jasper asked, stepping from behind her to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

Offering him a brilliant smile she just shrugged. "Nothing really. Just thinking about Aunt Jenny."

"Are you two really close?"

"Very," she laughed. "And she's definitely one crazy old woman."

Jasper smiled remembering the time he'd spent dancing with her at the Christmas Party. "Good dancer though."

Alice laughed and reached out to brush her hand over Jasper's cheek as he knelt on the floor in front of her. "I'll make sure she knows you feel that way."

He nodded. "Can we find somewhere comfortable to sit? I'm too old to be on my knees for long and we can't both fit in that chair."

She stood and took his hand, pulling him into the living room to sit on the extremely plush sofa that had been in the family as long as she could remember. It was well broken in and more often than not, put her to sleep within minutes if she got still long enough.

"Where is she?"

"Huh?"

"Your aunt. Where is she?"

"Well, after getting me up at 6 this morning to open my presents, she left on her annual trip to Mexico with her friends."

"Mexico huh?"

"Yup. There's a group of about six of them that go down every year to pick up men. They have a singles do-hickie down there."

Jasper couldn't help but laugh. Her aunt was definitely something. "So we've got the house to ourselves?"

"Yeah."

He smiled and leaned forward, nuzzling her neck, just below her ear. "What do you say we get presents out of the way and go back to your room?"

A frown tugged at her lips. "I didn't really have the money to get your anything. I just want to tell you that…" she sighed.

"That's alright darlin'."

"I mean… You were only here a week and between working and fooling around and all this crap with Maria and Victoria I didn't have time. Then when you left…" she shrugged.

"Ali, I don't need anything. It's fine."

She looked at him carefully, staring into his blue eyes as he spoke to her. "I did find something to give you though. I thought about it for a while and, well, since I want us to get to know each other better, I figured this would be one way to do that."

Handing him a bag, she chewed nervously on her lip as he opened it and pulled out a well worn notebook.

"I know you probably aren't a big fan of reading or anything but…"

"What is this?" he frowned, flipping through the pages to see each cluttered to capacity with writing.

"It's my life. Well, my life since I moved here. And that's just volume one."

Jasper chuckled. "How many volumes are there?"

"As of right now? About twenty. I've written down everything for the last fifteen years. So what better way to get to know me right?"

"Everything?"

"Yup. Everything."

"Wow," he scanned over the book seeing a few references to Emmett every now and then. "Sorry I don't have anything to give you to read."

Alice giggled. "Jasper, your life's an open book. I'm pretty sure I know more about you than you know about yourself unfortunately."

"Should I be scared?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile before her face grew serious. "I just want to get to know the real you. Not the race car driver or Indy's sexiest. I like who you are when you're with me. I want to get to know that man."

He sighed. "It's gonna be hard for us unless you come…"

She shook her head. "No it's not. I'm not going back to Indianapolis with you right now. To stay anyway. I'll be happy to go back for New Years' if you'd like but I won't stay. Until we get to know more about each other I think this distance thing is going to work out for the better. We won't be completely distracted by the physical aspects of us."

"But you'll come visit, of course. And you know I will too. It won't be every week that we see each other. Maybe twice a month for a little while but we'll figure something out. If this is meant to be, then we'll be fine."

Jasper nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"Maybe you should keep a journal like that. Send it to me when you're finished."

"I don't think you'd be able to read my chicken scratch."

"You'd be surprised what I can read. Now where's my present."

He chuckled and handed her a fairly flat box. "It's not much but considering what you just gave me, I think it was a good choice."

She chewed on her bottom lip as she opened the box and smiled. Pulling out the leather bound book with her name engraved across the front she opened it seeing the blank lined pages. "This is beautiful," she muttered.

"I figure you can write your own Sleeping Beauty stuff. Maybe about us," he winked.

"Do you now?"

"Oh yeah," he chuckled. "Then I can read it and we'll act out the book."

"You're such a hornball…"

"Speaking of… can we go back upstairs?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

* * *

Bella and Alice stood on the front porch as they watched the boys put their bags in the trunk of Edward's rental. Neither wanted to admit how much it hurt to watch them leave but they both knew it wasn't over and that was the only thing that kept them from breaking down.

The two men strode to the porch, cocky smile's adorning their faces as they both slipping into the arms of their girls.

"So you guys are coming up on Thursday right?" Jasper asked, looking between the two of them.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I guess. You're lucky my shop's closed for a few days or you'd just have to deal without me there."

"Whatever. You know you want to come see me."

Alice laughed as her friend teased Edward. "Well, you guys need to get going. Don't want either of you getting arrested for jumping the security line."

Jasper sighed and leaned down to place a slow, coaxing kiss on her lips. "I'll miss you."

She smiled. "I'll miss you too. I'll call you Wednesday to make sure you guys don't leave us stranded at the airport."

Bella shivered as Edward nuzzled her neck, the slight scruffiness on his chin tickled her sensitive skin. "Call me when you get back alright? I don't want to worry about you."

"I will. I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"I love you too…" she let him sweep into her mouth before pulling away reluctantly. "Bye."

He smiled and gave her a charming smile and wink. "Bye baby."

As they pulled out of the driveway both women shuffled back into the house and flopped onto the sofa.

"Why aren't we going with them again?" Alice asked, needing further convincing of her decision.

"Because we have lives here and we're not going to up and leave everything for two men we barely know."

"But you love him…"

Bella shrugged. "I know but I love myself more. We all just need to take our time."

"Yeah. Whatever you say. Bells?"

"Yeah?" Bella looked over at her best friend and smiled, seeing the tears that were silently rolling down her cheeks.

"I love you," Alice blurted out.

"Are you drunk?" Bella asked, unable to contain her giggles as her friend leaned over to hug her.

"Not drunk enough. Need more egg nog…"

"Oh good Lord. Drink all you want, but I'm not rubbing your back when you puke. That's Jasper's job."


	36. Epilogue

**_AN: Alright everyone... this is it. The end! Again thanks for all of the reviews and don't forget to vote about what I need to do regarding White Flag! The polls on my profile._**

**_Enjoy!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, everything else belongs to the wonderful Mrs. Meyer._**

* * *

Epilogue

_**Indianapolis Motor Speedway**_

**Indy 500 Weekend**

Bella stepped out of the car and pushed her sunglasses back on her head as she took in the sights of the infield at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She cast a slightly confused glance at Alice as they began to trek across the winding road towards the gravely lot that led to the security checkpoint to enter the garage area.

"Woohoo!! Hey baby! Let's see what you got?" a man called as he walked past, his red t-shirt proudly proclaiming the words HO SNATCHA in big bold white letters.

Bella's eyes grew wide in shock as Alice laughed and quickly flashed the guy before pulling her friend forward. "Ali!? What the hell!?"

"It's called Indy baby! You do things like that around here."

Pursing her lips in disappointment, she shook her head. "What do you think Jasper would say if he knew you did that?"

"He'd probably make me do it again," she laughed. "Come on, you gotta lighten up."

Bella sighed. "I know, it's just. This is my first race and it's a complete culture shock. I'm used to the artsy people not… this."

"Trust me, these people are a hell of a lot more artsy than NASCAR fans so be happy you're not in Dega."

They quickly showed their passes to the security guard standing at the gate and stepped through the fence and moved out of the way.

"Where are we supposed to meet them again?" Alice asked, craning her neck for a better view as Tony Kanaan walked by her, flashing a quick grin at her before walking away. "He's got such a cute little ass."

"Ali, focus. We're supposed to find Jasper's hauler, whatever the hell a hauler is."

"That is a hauler," Alice said, pointing to the large trailers that looked like they should be attached to back of a big rig.

"Alright then, let's find them," Bella said, looping her arm through Ali's as they weaved through the fans that hung around trying to get a glimpse of their favorite drivers. "Do I look okay?"

Looking over her friend's fitted t-shirt and jeans she rolled her eyes. "You're dressed like everyone else here. How can you look anything but okay?"

"Is it so hard for you to believe I'm nervous about being here?"

"Oh, hell that's not hard to believe at all. But you need to get past that because I see your man straight ahead."

"Huh? Where?"

Bella's gaze quickly darted around until it fell on Edward as he stood joking around with Jasper and Ben. Then his eyes met hers.

She let go of Alice, leaving her to make her way through the jumble of people as she hurried towards him, launching into his arms as soon as she was close enough. "Hey baby," he chuckled, repeatedly kissing her.

"Hey. I missed you," she smiled against his lips. They hadn't seen each other in almost two months. She'd been extremely busy at her gallery and he'd been all over the world in a matter of weeks. Things just hadn't worked out.

But she wouldn't worry about that, he was here now and that's all that mattered.

"Where'd you park?"

"That road right outside the fence. There were a bunch of cars there. And Ali flashed some HO SNATCHA guy, on the way in. I don't understand this at all."

Jasper laughed at Bella knowing she felt like a fish out of water. Once race season had started, Ali had made an effort to come to as many of the races as she could. The only ones she'd missed had been a few on the east coast. He knew Indy wasn't the only time she'd been asked to flash and certainly wouldn't be the last. She did it proudly.

"What are you laughin at Jazz?" Ali asked, easing her arms around his waist. "We gotta lure her in."

He just chuckled in response. "Somehow I don't see Bells flashing any time soon."

"You never will either," Edward replied haughtily following it with a quick wink and smile. "You wanna go back to the coach? I'll go pull your car in."

Bella nodded handing him her keys as Jasper threw his arms around the girls and led them to the drivers' lot.

"You're enjoying this entirely too much," Bella giggled as he pressed a slurpy kiss to each of their foreheads.

Releasing them as they reached his coach, he opened the door, letting them walk in before following. "You guys want anything to drink?"

They both shook their heads so he flopped into the recliner and pulled Alice into his lap. "Hey baby."

"Hey," she replied sweetly, lowering her mouth to his before they fell into an extreme make out session that would give any good porn a run for its money.

"So…" Jasper said with a shaky voice, not wanting to make Bella too uncomfortable. "Have you found a roommate yet?"

She shook her head, unable to contain her smile at the happiness that played upon both Jasper and Alice's faces. He'd asked her to move in with him the week before and she'd wholeheartedly accepted.

Bella was happy for them but she hadn't lived alone ever. The hardest thing for her to deal with was Ali leaving. She didn't know how she was going to handle her best friend being so far away but it was something she was going to have to deal with.

She knew she'd see her often enough but it wouldn't be the same.

So much had changed in their lives over the last six months. She wasn't so sure it was the changes that she wanted. Or maybe she wasn't happy that she hadn't made any. Everyone else had followed their hearts but she was still fighting hers and she didn't know why."

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" She quickly blinked her eyes focusing on Edward who'd entered the coach sometime during her zone out. "Yeah babe?"

"Let's head over to my place, I've got your bags inside already."

* * *

Bella sipped on her cup of coffee as she waited for Edward to get up. He had a drivers' meeting in a few hours so she was going to let him sleep a little while longer before waking him.

She'd gotten up with the sun, something she'd been doing a lot of lately. Her mind never seemed to rest these days. And after sitting through practice the last two days as well as spending time with Jasper, Edward and Alice, she'd realized why.

"Hey baby," he yawned, shuffling towards the front of the coach as she scratched his butt through his boxers.

She laughed at the sight in front of her. Between the disheveled hair and the butt scratching, she couldn't help it. "Morning," she smiled, giving him a slow lingering kiss as he bent forward.

"You still having trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah. But I figured out why."

He frowned and sat next to her, pulling her feet into his lap. "What is it? You're not pregnant are you? Not that that's a problem but you're not are you?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm not pregnant."

"Then what?"

"I'm not happy."

Edward felt his heart drop at her words just before it began to slowly crumble. "Oh…"

"It's nothing you did wrong sweetie," she said, reaching out to brush her hand over his cheek. "I'm just not happy when I'm not with you."

"Huh?" he croaked, slightly confused. "It's too early, you'll have to explain a little better."

"How's this?" She readjusted so that she straddled his lap. "You got any room for me?"

"Yeah," he said slowly, still not quite sure what she was talking about.

"At home?"

Suddenly the clarity hit his eyes. "Are you serious?"

She smiled and nodded her head as he wrapped his arms around her and plundered her mouth with his tongue, leaving her breathless and aroused. "Is that a yes?"

"Hell fucking yeah!"

Bella laughed as his lips attacked her neck and he carried her back to the bedroom where he laid her on the bed and crawled on top of her.

"I love you Bella Swan…"

"I love you Edward Masen…"she purred, slipping her hand between them to stroke him.


	37. AN: Poll & Upcoming Info

Hi everyone!

I'm working on the story to go along with the short that I did called _If You See Him_ so hopefully I'll be able to start posting soon, it's called _It Doesn't Matter_. Honestly I'm going to try to enjoy having a little break from my daily updates so I can get caught up on the reading, which is my favorite thing to do anyway.

I've got a poll up on my profile that I would like to get your guys feedback on if you don't mind. I've got a story that's actually finished but it's another one of those racing background sorts that I'm sure you guys are sick of me writing. The story in itself doesn't really take place at the track it's similar to This Year's Girl in that manner. It will include Bella with Edward and someone other than Edward, I'm not saying who other than it isn't Jake and it may or may not end with E/B. I don't want you guys starting to read the story and then yelling at me because it's not E/B. You're getting fair warning here that there is someone, not Jake, that is also involved.

So please go vote!

I've also started a C2 with some of the Doucheward suggestions you guys have sent me. They aren't all listed yet so please give me time but they will eventually be there.

That's all for now!


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